COLUMBUS, Ohio – Grote Company has announced its recent acquisition of Chicago-based Pizzamatic Corporation. Established in 1962, Pizzamatic is a recognized leader in the innovation, design and manufacture of automation equipment for the frozen, chilled and institutional pizza industries.

According to Bob Grote, CEO of Grote Company, “This acquisition brings Grote back as a complete line pizza equipment manufacture with leading technology in sauce depositing and waterfall application, complementing our world class Peppamatic and Pendulum slicers. Pizzamatic also offers equipment with an alternate slicing method to our Accuband, which is a great supplement to our traditional methods.”


Grote Company is a leading manufacturer of slicer/applicator, sandwich, and pizza line innovation and technology. Grote Company operates worldwide through its international sales and service office in Wrexham, North Wales. Grote also owns US-based Vanmark Corporation, a global manufacturer of industrial fruit and vegetable processing equipment.

Grote Company was founded in 1972 by local business entrepreneur Jim Grote, founder and majority owner of Donatos Pizza. Donatos Pizza currently operates over 150 stores within 6 states in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.

“Since its founding, Pizzamatic has demonstrated a very similar culture to J.E. Grote’s; a laser-focus on the customer and delivering a quality product each and every day. Pizzamatic has many loyal customers that we will now have the pleasure to serve together under one banner,” Grote said. “Pizzamatic’s rich engineering history of cutting edge designs should blossom under our ownership. Combined, our companies will be a more formidable force in the pizza industry and the food industry as a whole.”