Hello, food lovers! Today, let’s talk about frozen pizza. Seriously, this is important. You might think of those disappointing cardboard circles. But hear me out.
Frozen pizza has undergone a process of continuous iteration, did you know that? It has become a beloved comfort food choice. Research shows that the U.S. pizza market is worth billions of dollars. In 2022, that figure reached $6.62 billion.
This amount is clearly a major trend today. Most people here eat pizza at least once a month. What’s most astonishing now? If we look back at history, pizza was almost never on the menu.
Actually, frozen pizza wasn’t really a thing before the 1950s. This shows how much our eating habits have changed. Think about how pizza used to be—it was mainly only available in cities on the East Coast. It wasn’t as popular as it is now.
It’s not just a convenient food; it brings flavors from all over the world into people’s homes. And this change happened at just the right time. One key reason was the widespread use of home freezers.
Can you imagine life today without a freezer? It’s hard to imagine now. Home freezers began to gain widespread use in the 1940s. This invention made many frozen foods part of everyday meals. Suddenly, “heat-and-eat” meals became a possibility for families.
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As early as the 1950s, advertisements began appearing in newspapers. These ads were for frozen pizza, which could be eaten simply by heating it up. However, at the time, these pizzas were only sold locally. The company needed local channels to produce and distribute them.
Then, some brave individuals emerged. These people recognized the potential of frozen pizza. They ultimately decided to bring frozen pizza to the national market. In 1957, Celentano Brothers emerged. They were the first to produce frozen pizza on a national scale.
Today, you may still see the Celentano name while shopping. However, it is no longer associated with pizza. The company is now owned by Rosina Food Products, which acquired Celentano in 2000. After the acquisition, pizza production ceased. However, its frozen meal business remains strong.
Thus, Celentano Brothers pioneered the national trend for frozen pizza. But their era of pizza production eventually came to an end. Yet another name emerged from those early days—a name that truly endured for a long time. That company was called Totino’s.
The story begins with a woman named Rose Totino. It was 1942, you know. Back then, pizza wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today. Rose went to visit her aunt in Pennsylvania. It was there that she discovered pizza.
She tasted pizza for the first time and fell in love with it at first bite. That moment marked the beginning of an amazing chapter. Rose and her husband Jim didn’t start out making frozen pizza.
Their first venture was more family-oriented. In 1951, they opened their own restaurant. The restaurant was located in Minnesota, where pizza was primarily an East Coast food at the time.
Running a restaurant gave them a lot of useful ideas and they learned how to make delicious pizza. They know what people really like. Only five years after Celentano’s Pizzeria opened nationwide, Jim and Rose Totino made a big decision.
In 1962, they took Totino’s Pizza national. At the time they sold frozen pizzas. This step meant a lot to them. It took a lot of money and a lot of conviction.
At that time she needed to convince someone from the bank to lend her money because she needed a loan for her business. Can you imagine that moment? She was standing there making dough or putting on toppings. Showing people how good her product tasted. All this to get the money to start the business. That kind of strong will is very inspiring. It’s also very much in line with the history of the industry.
Celentano’s Pizzeria stopped making pizza in 2000. As a result, Totino’s is now in an incredible position. It is the oldest brand still in mass production.
Totino’s was then the best-selling frozen pizza everywhere. They had 75% of the entire market at the time! That kind of control was almost unheard of. It just goes to show you how much America loves Totino’s pizza.
Their food must have been just right at the time. in 1975, their huge success brought about a key change. Jim and Rose Totino sold their company.
After selling the company, Jim and Ross continued to work for Pillsbury. She was Pillsbury’s first female vice president! How amazing is that? From discovering pizza on a vacation trip and then opening a little family restaurant.
To running a major division of a major company, her story is truly remarkable. It’s part of American business and food history. People still really like Totino’s. Their pizza rolls are still a very popular food. Even in recent history, they’ve sold well.
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The Oldest Mass-Produced Frozen Pizza Brand You Can Still Find On The Shelves Today
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