Conagra ends Celeste frozen pizza, a freezer staple for decades
Conagra Brands has stopped making Celeste frozen pizza, a budget freezer staple known for its single-serve pies and its "Mama Celeste" mascot. Pizzas already made will stay on shelves until they sell out. The company's CEO said Conagra is dropping small, low-profit brands to focus on products with more room to grow.
Celeste frozen pizza is on its way out of the freezer aisle.
Conagra Brands has stopped making the pizzas, a company spokesperson told Fox Business. Stores will keep selling what is left. "As of now, there will not be Celeste products once we sell what has been made," the spokesperson said.
Conagra first disclosed the move during its quarterly earnings call on Sept. 30. Leaving the brand trimmed first-quarter sales slightly, but the company expects it to help profit margins.
CEO John Brase explained the choice plainly. "There are certain brands and categories where we simply just don't see a future," he said. "It just makes sense to exit those small, really unprofitable brands or low-profit brands as soon as possible." He said Conagra will look for more ways to simplify, noting it sells more than 400 single-serve meal items.
Conagra got Celeste in 2018 when it bought Pinnacle Foods, NewsNation reported.
The brand's story goes back much further. "Mama" Celeste and her husband, Anthony, opened a restaurant in Chicago in 1937. In 1962, they turned to making frozen Italian foods under the Celeste name. Quaker Oats bought the business in 1969. Mama Celeste stayed on as the smiling face on the box and in TV ads with the slogan "Abbondanza!" She died in 1988.
The brand changed hands several times over the years before landing at Conagra, The Takeout reported. It has been mentioned on "The Simpsons" and "The Golden Girls."
Fans reacted with nostalgia online. "RIP Mama Celeste. You were a good one. Those 10 for $10 deals were the pinnacle of the 90s," one person wrote. Others said the pizza reminded them of their grandmothers.
Shoppers who want a last taste should check their store's freezer case while supplies last.
What we know: Conagra has ended Celeste production, and remaining pizzas will be sold until they run out.
What we don't: How long stores' remaining stock will last.
Where outlets agree Fox Business and NewsNation both report that Conagra has stopped making Celeste pizzas but will keep selling existing inventory until it runs out.
Where they differ NewsNation reports the Celeste founders closed their Chicago restaurant in 1962 and kept selling pizzas to other eateries, while The Takeout reports they sold the restaurant that year to focus on frozen Italian foods.