Funky Fresh Spring Rolls and its partnership with Palermo’s Pizza have been put on ice after poor performance with customers.
In a joint statement on Nov. 14, both companies announced a “a pause in production of its spring roll product line.”
“This decision follows extensive retail trials and customer feedback, which indicated that the product did not meet performance expectations or consumer demand in today’s competitive market environment,” the joint statement reads.
Jasper Fallucca, vice president of corporate development for Palermo’s, said in the statement that it was time for the company to “pivot on Funky Fresh.”
“We conducted extensive consumer testing and reformulated the product multiple times. Unfortunately, the major retail opportunity we anticipated did not materialize, and sales at existing accounts did not support the continuation of the line,” the statement reads. “That said, we remain committed to innovation with TrueMan at the helm as we regroup and look forward to future product developments for the brand.”
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Funky Fresh founder TrueMan McGee said consumer sentiment and a lack of brand recognition outside of the state were difficult hurdles to overcome.
“When you commercialize a product from a restaurant to manufacturing, it has challenges but I felt like we had a pretty good product to offer to the world,” McGee said.
In Wisconsin, the product sold well, however McGee said the story of the company didn’t travel as far once the rolls left the state.
“I think the frozen appetizer section is probably one of the worst performing sectors,” McGee said. “So bringing in a new product that’s fairly unknown outside of Wisconsin in a industry where (people are) looking for the cheaper options, the mozzarella sticks, the taquitos and things like that, a product like ours can get overlooked.”
He still believes in Funky Fresh.
“I feel my partners at Palermo’s believe the same thing,” McGee said. “I think we’re just going to go back to the drawing board and maybe take a different approach strategically and hopefully in the future come up out with another product that aligns with our values and we can bring value to our customers as well.”
Palermo’s believes in McGee so much that it has given him a job to work with them and improve Funky Fresh.
“They appreciated my culinary creativity, so I look forward to working with them on some projects,” McGee said adding Palermo’s could have cut ties with him completely. “They’re continuing to want to work with me and that’s one of the reasons why I’ve chosen to partner with them instead of going on Shark Tank or anything like that… they said, he, we see the value of you as a person.”
Funky Fresh went from Sherman Phoenix to dozens of grocery stores to ‘What if it doesn’t work?’
Funky Fresh was founded in 2013 by McGee and quickly grew a Milwaukee area following. It opened its first storefront in the former Grand Avenue Mall in Milwaukee in early 2018 before moving to the Sherman Phoenix.
In 2023, Funky Fresh moved out of Sherman Phoenix with the plan to bring the product to a wider audience. It had brought the product to 40 local groceries stores in 2024.
“We were this close to going national and it all changed,” McGee said in a video on Funky Fresh’s Facebook page. “By March of 2025 we expanded our spring rolls into nearly 400 grocery stores from the southeast region with Harris Teeter to the Kansas City metro area with Price Chopper.”
Harris Teeter Supermarkets, based in North Carolina, operates more than 250 stores in seven states, according to its website. Price Chopper has 32 stores in six states according to its website.
McGee said in May the company received a “national test launch” with a national retailer.
“This was the moment. Everything we every dreamed of, our launch was scheduled for October of 2025. But it didn’t happen,” McGee said. “That retailer pulled back two weeks before our biggest production run and our biggest opportunity for national expansion.”
The video shows a long conveyor belt filled with rolls ready to be packaged, and McGee said the product was pulled by Harris Teeter and he was “shook to my core.”
“I believed in this Funky Fresh dream so hard that I never stopped to think ‘what if it doesn’t work?'” McGee said. “Sometimes your greatest ideas don’t come at the greatest times. We aren’t stopping, we’re just pausing to reflect, to improve, to and not giving up on our dream of being a national brand.”
McGee said the company plans to continue to be at popup and other live events.
On Nov. 9 Funky Fresh announced it was it was planning to “regroup.”
“The truth is, we’re in a season of big reflection and important decisions about the future of Funky Fresh. Like many small brands we’ve faced challenges that have forced us to take a step back and analyze what’s next!” the company posted on its Facebook page.
It also announced a “virtual kitchen,” which allows for customers to order online, which started on Nov. 12 for pickup and delivery on Nov. 16.
“You can order from our new menu of spring rolls, pizzas, and family meal kits, then pick up or get delivery every Sunday. It’s one small way to support local while still eating Funky Fresh!” the post reads.
This story was updated with additional information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Funky Fresh Spring Roll national rollout paused by Palermo’s following disappointing sales
Reporting by Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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