Gluten-Free Frozen Empanada Brand COCINA 54 Acquired by Pensieve Foods

Gluten-free frozen empanada maker COCINA 54 has been acquired by Los Angeles-based food manufacturer Pensieve Foods, founder and CEO Cecilia Panichelli announced in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We have only just begun to realize COCINA 54’s full potential and were able to find the perfect partner to move the brand forward. Pensieve’s leadership is more agile, and innovative, and has the infrastructure that COCINA 54 needs to move to the next phase,” said Panichelli in the post. She described Pensieve as a manufacturer with expertise in fresh and frozen clean-label food products.

Founded in 2017, COCINA 54 aims to create a “new generation” of better-for-you Latin American foods, staying true to its Argentinian roots with authentic flavors and packaging design inspired by an Argentinian painting called Filete Porteño. The brand currently produces a four-SKU line of better-for-you, gluten-free frozen empanadas that includes Traditional Beef, Spinach & Cheese, Spicy Beef and Chicken & Peppers varieties.

The empanada maker is capitalizing on the rapidly-growing frozen food segment and the everyday consumer’s increasing curiosity surrounding international flavors, both trends which ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to recent data published by Grand View Research, the U.S. frozen food market was valued at $55.8 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2022 to 2030.

Since launch, the brand has grown its retail footprint to include more than 1,000 doors nationwide, including Target, H-E-B, Wegmans, Meijer and Schnuck Markets.

Additionally, the frozen empanada maker was crowned champion of NOSH Pitch Slam 10 in 2021. The judges were impressed by the flavors and convenience of the pre-baked, frozen empanadas, which can be prepared in the microwave or oven.

“Over the past five years, our team has worked tirelessly to reinvent the frozen category,” said Panichelli in her post. “We were able to overcome a pandemic, record inflation and labor shortage.”

COCINA 54 declined to comment on the deal. Pensieve Foods LLC did not return NOSH’s multiple requests for comment and information on the company.