From Wisconsin’s Northwoods to Midwest Store Shelves: Square One Foods & Polka Dot Dairy’s Winning Partnership
Dan Milota and Joe Pettit meet in Siren, Wisconsin to discuss the rapid rise of Square One Foods and the story behind its growth. Image by HastingsNow.com
In the Upper Midwest, frozen pizza isn’t just a quick meal – it’s practically a way of life. Small towns take pride in their local pizza brands, and convenience stores (c-stores) and groceries know that a great frozen pizza can be a freezer-aisle superstar. That’s why it’s big news when a regional distributor and a rising pizza producer team up. Polka Dot Dairy – a Midwest frozen pizza distributor best known for its dairy legacy – has joined forces with Square One Foods, a fast-growing frozen pizza phenomenon from Wisconsin, to bring wholesale pizza for C-stores and small grocers across Minnesota and Wisconsin. This in-depth feature explores how Dan Milota’s Square One Foods and Joe Pettit’s Polka Dot Dairy built a partnership that’s delivering hometown flavor, high margins, and a new level of convenience to retailers and consumers alike. Along the way, we’ll look at the rich narratives behind each company, the shared values that unite them, and why this collaboration is a “slice above the rest” in the frozen pizza business.
From a Local Legacy to a Frozen Pizza Phenomenon: Square One Foods’ Rise
Square One Foods specializes in crafting distinctive, award-winning frozen gourmet pizzas, including signature varieties like “The LumberJack Wisconsinite.”
Every great brand has an origin story. Square One Foods’ roots stretch back over 40 years in Siren, Wisconsin, a village in the Northwoods where the company quietly built a loyal following with its pizzas and pastas. For decades it operated under the fitting corporate name “A Slice Above the Rest,” serving familiar favorites to the local community. By the time entrepreneur Dan Milota entered the picture in 2023, Square One Foods had only seen a couple of ownership changes in its long history. Milota became just the third owner – and he was determined to take this humble local producer to new heights.
Milota’s takeover in 2023 came with big challenges and bigger ambitions. He negotiated a savvy purchase (even excluding the building to keep costs down) and stepped into a business that initially lost $70,000 in his first six months. Rather than accept defeat, Milota treated that early setback as the setup for a major comeback. Drawing on deep industry experience – he’d worked with national food distributors (including roles at Sysco and Performance Foodservice) and even started his food career as a teenager learning authentic Italian cooking from Sicilian chefs – Milota quickly revamped operations. In just two years, he drove sales up by over 1,000%, turning Square One Foods into one of Wisconsin’s fastest-rising food brands.
“I intend to fulfill my vision for Square One Foods to become a national brand while maintaining high-quality products at reasonable prices.”
This quote reflects Milota’s dual focus: aggressive growth without sacrificing quality or affordability. Under his leadership, Square One expanded its product lineup dramatically – adding over 25 new items from nearly two dozen varieties of pasta and lasagna to globally inspired dishes like rice bowls and sous-vide entrees. Of course, pizza remains the star: Square One crafts premium frozen pizzas that taste like they came straight from a hometown kitchen. Their creative flavors (think a “Lumberjack Oktoberfest” beer-infused crust or a cheese-loaded “Wisconsinite” pie) and hearty comfort foods (like a five-cheese Chicken Alfredo lasagna or a spicy Italian hot link pasta) deliver the kind of variety that sets them apart from average frozen pizza fare. The company even prints its motto – “Making Frozen Pizza Taste Homemade” – on the box, underscoring its commitment to a from-scratch flavor experience.
That commitment to quality hasn’t gone unnoticed. Square One Foods has already earned local acclaim, including being recognized as a “Best Of” pizza winner in Burnett County, WI. What’s more, Milota’s strategy isn’t just about winning taste tests – it’s about creating a business model where everyone from the manufacturer to the retailer wins. Square One keeps its pricing reasonable and margins retailer-friendly, so that stores can profit well from each sale, not just the manufacturer. It’s a philosophy of a sustainable win-win partnership, as Milota describes – a philosophy that aligns perfectly with what Polka Dot Dairy prioritizes in its own vendor relationships.
From Milkman to Midwest Frozen Pizza Distributor: Polka Dot Dairy’s Evolution
Local residents purchase frozen pizzas and entrees from Square One Foods HQ in Siren, WI. Image by HastingsNow.com
If Square One Foods embodies the new wave of local food entrepreneurship, Polka Dot Dairy represents the power of tradition meeting transformation. Founded in 1956 in Hastings, Minnesota, Polka Dot Dairy built its name over decades as a trusted regional dairy distributor, known for “high quality dairy products sold at fair prices, delivered with outstanding service.” For generations, Polka Dot’s trucks were essentially rolling milkmen, faithfully delivering milk, ice cream, and other staples to grocery stores and mom-and-pop shops across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In an industry where reliability is everything, Polka Dot earned business the old-fashioned way – by “showing up” consistently and never compromising on service. “You’re a hero if you just show up,” quips co-owner Joe Pettit, summing up the company’s core service philosophy.
Yet even as Polka Dot Dairy’s foundation remained solid, the market around it was shifting. By the 2020s, the dairy industry faced consolidation and disruption – culminating in the closure of a major local creamery in 2023 that had supplied Polka Dot for nearly 70 years. Rather than fade away, Polka Dot chose to pivot and reinvent itself for a new era. Joe Pettit, whose family co-owns the business, had a vision for Polka Dot’s “next chapter” that was both practical and energizing: “a service-obsessed, cold-chain-capable distributor with a differentiated product mix – built for the needs of grocery stores and convenience stores across Minnesota and Wisconsin.” In other words, Polka Dot would leverage its strengths (refrigerated logistics and trusted service) to go beyond milk, providing a wider array of products that independent retailers truly need to compete and thrive.
One key competitive advantage Joe highlights is Polka Dot’s ability to handle frozen and refrigerated products, not just dry goods. “Having refrigerated and frozen delivery capacity sets us apart from many competitors,” he explains. This cold-chain capability opened the door for Polka Dot to carry high-margin, in-demand categories that smaller stores love – like ice creams, frozen pizzas and quick meals, premium cheeses and meat snacks. Instead of trying to be a broadline distributor that carries a little of everything, Pettit chose a more strategic lane: “We will source quality products that not all DSD and broad-line vendors have. We will continually look for products to add to our repertoire.” In practice, that means Polka Dot actively seeks out unique, regional brands with stories and flavors that can drive incremental sales for their retail clients, rather than duplicating what every big wholesaler offers.
Mind map by HastingsNow.com
This strategy led Polka Dot Dairy to new partnerships with craft and local food makers – from beef jerky to Hispanic ice cream. And notably, one of the brands Joe Pettit grew most excited about was Square One Foods. In a recent interview, he even singled out “Square One LumberJack Pizzas and Frozen Entrées” among the new additions generating buzz in Polka Dot’s portfolio. Here was a chance to fill the frozen pizza niche with a product that was both proven locally and distinctively high quality – exactly the kind of offering that could help a small-town grocery or c-store stand apart. Polka Dot Dairy had found the perfect pizza partner for its new direction.
“We try to learn our vendors’ stories about what makes them different from lesser competitors. In a convenience store or small grocery, the story behind a product helps it earn shelf space — and helps staff recommend it. A distributor that can translate a product story into sell-through is a distributor that vendors remember.”
Polka Dot Dairy has put that philosophy into action with Square One Foods. On Polka Dot’s own website, the team created a Vendor Spotlight on Square One Foods (much like this feature) to share the brand’s story with retailers. By educating store buyers about Square One’s Northwoods heritage, award-winning recipes, and rapid growth, Polka Dot is effectively translating Square One’s story into retail enthusiasm. It’s a modern twist on old-fashioned salesmanship: build demand by sharing why the product is special, not just by dropping off a case of pizza. And it speaks to the shared values that Polka Dot and Square One bring to the table – an emphasis on local tradition, quality ingredients, and partnership-based success.
Shared Values, Shared Success: Inside the Square One–Polka Dot Partnership
Square One Foods is located in Siren, Wisconsin. Image by HastingsNow.com
When Dan Milota and Joe Pettit first connected, it was clear their companies spoke the same language. Square One Foods and Polka Dot Dairy both believe in helping small businesses thrive – whether it’s the small-town pizza maker scaling up or the independent corner store stocking local products to keep customers happy. It’s a partnership built on shared values, as Polka Dot describes it. And those values are now translating into tangible benefits for communities across the Upper Midwest.
Polka Dot Dairy’s distribution network – reaching roughly 200 cities across Minnesota and Wisconsin – is helping connect Square One Foods with more grocery stores, convenience stores, and other outlets in the region. For Square One, this kind of reach would have been hard to achieve alone; for Polka Dot, it means being able to offer an exciting new category to the hundreds of small retailers it serves. Polka Dot, traditionally known just for dairy, has broadened its catalog to include outstanding local food brands like Square One Foods so that client stores can easily stock these items “without juggling multiple vendors.” In other words, a store can get its milk, ice cream, and frozen pizza all from one trusted Midwest distributor – simplifying operations for the retailer while boosting Polka Dot’s role as a one-stop supplier.
For convenience store operators and independent grocers, this partnership is especially sweet. It means that adding a standout local pizza to their freezer is as easy as making a call to their Polka Dot Dairy rep. What does this mean for you as a retailer? Simply put: you can get these amazing pizzas and pastas into your freezers with ease, and you can trust that they’ll practically sell themselves once customers try them. Square One’s products have already proven their popularity in Northwest Wisconsin; when shoppers in a new town get a taste – say, of that crispy LumberJack crust loaded with premium toppings, or a gooey five-cheese lasagna – they tend to become repeat customers. Many who try it agree “you can’t find any better pizza around, hands down,” as one enthusiastic patron put it.
Just as importantly, Square One Foods and Polka Dot Dairy structured their partnership to be a win-win for the stores. Milota has made sure Square One’s pricing leaves healthy profit margins for retailers, not just for the manufacturer. And Polka Dot’s direct-store-delivery approach means retailers get attentive service – stock rotated, freezers faced, and even special deliveries if an emergency arises. The result is a supply chain where everyone benefits: Square One expands its footprint, Polka Dot deepens its product mix, retailers boost their frozen food sales, and consumers get a top-notch product at a fair price. “It’s about creating a sustainable win-win partnership, exactly the kind Polka Dot Dairy seeks in our supplier relationships,” notes Polka Dot’s team.
Bringing Gourmet Pizza to C-Store Freezers (and Why It Matters)
Joe samples Dan Milota’s latest creations at Square One Foods in Siren, Wisconsin.
Walk through a small-town grocery or gas station in Minnesota or Wisconsin today, and you might spot something new in the freezer: Square One Foods’ pizzas, pastas, and entrées – proudly stocked alongside national brands. For the store owner, carrying a local brand like Square One can be a real differentiator. These products come with a built-in story and regional pride that resonate with Midwestern customers. It’s not “just another frozen pizza” from a faceless factory; it’s an award-winning pie from a small Wisconsin town, made by people with passion, now delivered to your doorstep by a trusted local distributor.
That authenticity can translate directly into sales. Today’s consumers love discovering local and craft foods – even in convenience settings – and they’re willing to try new flavors when they see a quality promise like “Making Frozen Pizza Taste Homemade.” Square One Foods delivers on that promise by using quality ingredients (many sourced from Wisconsin), careful production methods like flash-freezing for freshness, and innovative recipes that cater to modern tastes (including indulgent options like Bacon Mac & Cheese pizza and even gluten-free crusts for those who need them). By bringing these products into more communities, Polka Dot Dairy is effectively helping c-stores and small grocers level up their freezer aisle. Instead of the same old selection, these retailers can offer something new and truly standout – a product line that customers remember and come back for.
For Polka Dot Dairy, this also solidifies its reputation as more than just a milk and ice cream distributor. The company is demonstrating that it can scout out the best of local food innovation and deliver it conveniently to retailers. In fact, Polka Dot’s transformation into a “Midwest frozen pizza distributor” is a case study in how a distributor can stay relevant by aligning with emerging trends. Frozen pizza is a booming category for c-stores (especially in the Upper Midwest, where take-and-bake and bar-style pizzas are beloved), and Polka Dot’s ability to handle frozen logistics means it can capitalize on that demand. By partnering with Square One Foods, Polka Dot instantly gained an edge in this category, offering a product that competes not on price alone but on quality and uniqueness.
Meanwhile, Square One Foods gains a reliable route into new markets. By partnering with distributors like Polka Dot Dairy, Square One Foods is readily accessible to stores throughout the region – which means getting their products into customers’ hands is smoother than ever. Instead of trying to distribute on their own to dozens of far-flung towns, Square One can focus on what it does best (making great food and scaling up production) while Polka Dot handles the delivery and relationship side. In fact, the demand has grown so much that Milota is already planning for the future – even considering doubling Square One’s 16,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility to keep up with orders. That kind of forward-thinking investment ensures that as more stores come on board, the supply will be there to meet the appetite.
A Recipe for Continued Growth (And How to Get in on It)
The story of Square One Foods and Polka Dot Dairy is more than a feel-good tale of two local businesses succeeding together. It’s also a blueprint for how independent retailers can thrive by embracing quality local products, and how regional distributors can differentiate themselves by being champions of those products. Both companies have shown that when you combine hometown values with big ambitions, the results can be powerful. Square One’s journey from a small Northwoods shop to an expanding Midwestern brand – and Polka Dot’s evolution from a milk route to a wholesale pizza distribution powerhouse – proves that innovation and tradition can feed each other in the best way.
For retailers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Midwest: this partnership is an opportunity knocking on your freezer door. If you operate a convenience store, neighborhood market, or specialty grocery, consider what adding Square One Foods could do for your frozen food sales. You’d be offering your shoppers a truly memorable product (many say it “tastes homemade”), backed by a great story and supported by Polka Dot Dairy’s reliable service. No need to juggle new suppliers or worry about inconsistent deliveries – Polka Dot has you covered with its direct-store delivery network and decades of expertise. Getting started is as easy as reaching out to Polka Dot Dairy (the company is headquartered in Hastings, MN, at (651) 438-2793, and ready to assist new accounts). They’ll help you stock your freezer with a “slice above the rest.”
For consumers and pizza lovers: keep an eye out for Square One Foods products at your local stores (and if you don’t see them yet, don’t be shy about asking your store manager!). Thanks to Polka Dot’s growing distribution, these Wisconsin-made pizzas and pastas are entering more and more small-town groceries, c-stores, and gas stations – bringing restaurant-quality flavor to places that might not even have a pizzeria in town. By choosing a Square One pizza or pasta bake, you’re not only getting a delicious meal, you’re also supporting a regional success story. Every slice tells the story of a small company that dared to dream big and the local distributor that helped make it possible.
Call to Action: Retailers – Contact Polka Dot Dairy today to learn how you can bring Square One Foods into your store and delight your customers (you can find more info on their website or by phone). Consumers – Try a Square One pizza for yourself and taste why it’s earning a reputation as the Midwest’s most exciting new frozen pizza. Together, let’s continue to support partnerships like this one, where local quality meets convenient distribution, ensuring that every community – from the biggest city to the smallest town – gets to enjoy a true “slice above” the rest.
