Rustic Crust Makes Unusual Delivery

In February, one of the fastest growing companies in NH, Rustic Crust, made an unusual pizza delivery.

CEO Brad Sterl and crew embarked on a several hour snow- tractor trek up the 6,288-foot Mount Washington for the "ultimate pizza delivery." The goal was to deliver a tractor full of Rustic Crust pizza crusts, sauce, cheese and toppings to the Mount Washington Observatory summit weather station, where scientists were then able to enjoy their first-ever takeout dinner.

The extreme pizza delivery marks the official start of Rustic Crust's partnership with Mount Washington Observatory, a nonprofit research and educational institution, which has operated the summit weather station since 1932. The Pittsfield-based pizza crust maker will be a sponsor of the Observatory's 11th annual Seek the Peak hike-a-thon this July 22-23, pledging cash and healthy pizza to the event.

"As a New Hampshire business, we're proud to support the Observatory," says Sterl. "This dedicated staff is conducting critical research, monitoring our climate and helping us better understand how weather impacts our planet and our daily lives."

For Sterl, the unorthodox delivery was nothing new. When he was president of the NH-based Foodee's Pizza chain, he arranged lunch drops by helicopter to the crews repairing the Old Man of the Mountain in Franconia Notch.

The Mount Washington Observatory trip will also reinforce Sterl's message that pizza can be a healthy choice.

"By making uninformed snack choices, we've become a nation at risk in terms of our health. We're eating too much over-processed food, but we don't have to deprive ourselves of fun foods like pizza - we just have to make it right, with natural, nutritious, good-for-you ingredients," Sterl said.

For more information, visit www.rusticcrust.com.