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When Dave Perri first built a brick pizza oven in his backyard, he wasn’t thinking about grocery store shelves or retail strategy. “I just wanted to make a better pizza,” he laughs. “I helped a neighbor build an oven one summer, and when I tasted the pizza that came out of it, I thought, I can do better than that.”
Dave began hosting pizza parties with his wife, experimenting with dough recipes and wood-fired techniques. Before long, friends were asking him to bring his oven on wheels to their backyards. “So I did,” he says. “I found a company in Colorado that put ovens on trailers. I was one of the first people in the country to have one. That’s how Pizza Amore started.”
Fifteen years later, what began as a backyard project has grown into a thriving brand with four mobile units, two brick-and-mortar restaurants, and their pizza dough mix now stocked in 45 Tops Friendly Markets stores across New York.
Pizza Amore’s entry into grocery retail started with a family connection. Dave’s nephew introduced him to Mark Bickerstaff.
With over 25 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, Mark is the founder of BevSnax, a Buffalo-based brokerage that helps emerging food and beverage brands break into retail. Before launching his own business, Mark spent more than a decade at Sorrento Cheese (now part of Lactalis USA) and later served as a category manager and lead analyst at Tops Markets, where he managed categories ranging from household cleaners to craft beer.
Drawing on his deep industry knowledge and long-standing relationships with buyers, Mark partners with local producers like Pizza Amore to bring high-quality, locally made products to grocery shelves across New York.
“At first, I didn’t think much of it,” Mark admits. “He said his uncle sold pizza dough mix out of his restaurant, and I thought, ‘Okay, sure, but how much could that really sell?’”
That changed when Mark saw the product. “The packaging was already 90% of the way there, which is rare. Most small producers I meet are maybe halfway ready for retail. Dave’s dough mix looked professional, clean, and retail-ready. I knew we could do something with it.”
Mark reached out to his contacts at Tops and got immediate interest.
“Tops has always been very supportive of local vendors,” he says. “They loved the product, and the timing was perfect. Local Line made the process even smoother.”
For small producers like Pizza Amore, getting onto grocery shelves is often the hardest part. Between distributor relationships, logistics, and invoicing, the barrier to entry can feel impossible.
“Usually, you have to find a distributor willing to take you on,” Mark explains. “Then you’re competing with thousands of other products in their catalog, and your brand can get lost.”
That’s where Local Line came in. Tops Markets had recently begun using Local Line to bring in more local vendors directly, giving small producers like Pizza Amore a platform to manage orders, invoicing, and deliveries without going through a distributor.
“Having Local Line in place made everything easier,” Mark says. “When a buyer gives you the green light and connects you through Local Line, it cuts out so many steps. It’s efficient, hands-on, and you maintain control of your brand.”
With Local Line’s platform, Mark can track orders, invoice on the spot, and manage store relationships, all while keeping operations lean. “I even bought a mobile printer,” he says. “When I visit a store and they need more dough mix, I print the invoice right there from my phone and make the delivery. It’s that simple.”
In early 2025, Pizza Amore’s retail presence didn’t exist. By fall, their dough mix was in 45 Tops locations across Buffalo, Rochester, and beyond.
“I’ve personally gone to every single one of those stores,” Mark says. “I pitch the product, explain that it’s coming through Local Line, and they all say the same thing, ‘I love it, let’s do it.’”
The growth has been rapid, but intentional. Mark and Dave focus on keeping inventory lean and relationships strong. “Most stores don’t want to sit on a ton of product,” Mark explains. “So I keep it simple: small quantities, fast turnover, and consistent communication.”
Dave agrees. “Ninety-eight percent of our dough mix sales now go through Tops. If it weren’t for Mark and Local Line, I’d still be selling bags out of the restaurant.”
For both Mark and Dave, Local Line’s biggest value is its simplicity.
“It’s straightforward,” Mark says. “The platform is easy to use, responsive, and built for people like us, small vendors managing relationships directly. I can log in from my phone, check orders, create invoices, and keep everything running.”
Local Line also eliminates one of the biggest pain points in retail distribution: complex processes.
“Without Local Line, you’d have to sell to the buyer and the distributor,” Mark says. “That’s twice the work. Local Line lets us manage the relationship with the buyer ourselves and deliver directly. It’s clean and efficient.”
Support has been another standout feature. “I work closely with David from the Local Line team,” Mark says. “He’s responsive and helpful. If I email him, I always get a quick answer. That kind of support makes all the difference when you’re juggling multiple stores.”
Dave appreciates the clarity and consistency of invoicing and the reliability of getting paid on time. “I just check the report, see the payment coming in, and know everything’s taken care of. It’s seamless.”
For Dave, the goal is always bigger. “I’m always asking Mark, ‘When are we getting into Wegmans? When are we going national?” he laughs. “He keeps me grounded, but that’s where I want to go.”
Mark agrees that expansion is on the horizon. “We’ve proven that this model works. With Local Line as our backbone, there’s no reason we can’t scale this up, more stores, more regions, more opportunities.”
Pizza Amore’s story is proof that great products, strong relationships, and the right tools can turn local dreams into scalable success. What started as a backyard pizza oven has become a shelf-ready product, trusted by grocery buyers and loved by customers across New York state.
“Local Line keeps us in control,” Mark says. “It lets us focus on what matters, great pizza, great relationships, and growing our business one store at a time.”
If you’re a producer looking to simplify your wholesale sales, Local Line gives you everything you need in one place. From managing orders and deliveries to invoicing, payments, and buyer communication, we help you stay organized and in control as you grow your reach.
Whether you’re selling to grocery stores, restaurants, or institutions, Local Line makes it easier to get your products on more shelves and keep them there.
👉 Sign up for Local Line today and see how our platform can help you streamline your wholesale sales, strengthen retailer relationships, and scale your local business with confidence.
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