**In celebration of Women’s History Month, I’ll be posting about women in the pizza community every few days this month. The pizza biz is pretty male-dominated, so let’s take this opportunity to throw the spotlight onto some of the women who are doing amazing work in the pizza world. This post is about Julia Collins, an entrepreneur who is making pizza history RIGHT NOW with her revolutionary company Zume Pizza.
Julia Collins is revolutionizing the food world right now. In 2015, she co-founded Zume Pizza in Mountain View, CA. As a city whose contemporary existence is built on technology, it should be no surprise that Zume Pizza isn’t the average operation. The company’s model centers around automation, but it’s way more than just an app that lets you track your order. If Julia has her way, pizza will be on its way to you before you even order it.
Julia studied at the Stamford School of Business, after which she followed her passions for food and culture through several successful brands on the east coast. She worked as a business analyst for Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group; director of restaurant development and food service at the incredible Murray’s Cheese in Greenwich Village; managing partner at Mexicue; and VP / CEO of the legendary Minton’s jazz club in Harlem.
With that kind of resume, it’s no wonder Collins is making big moves on the restaurant scene today. The concept behind Zume Pizza is all about technology. They have a fleet of trucks loaded with ovens that bake the pizza when close to your home. Customers can order through an app based on the inventory of the trucks that are closest to their delivery points. As data builds, those trucks will be loaded with the pizza that’s most likely to be ordered. So the pizza could be on its way to you before you place the order.
I met Julia on the Pizza Expo floor in 2016 and she promptly invited me to visit Mountain View to check out the operation. I went. I observed. I ate. I even got a sneak peak at what has since been revealed as the most dynamic evolution in pizza box history. Julia’s passion for this business is extraordinary and she is clearly at the forefront of a technological shift in foodservice.
Zume is currently available in the Mountain View, CA area but keep your eyes peeled for expansion in the near future.
