Celeste frozen pizzas, a freezer aisle fan favorite sold at Walmart and Dollar Tree stores in Palm Beach County and across the nation, soon will tempt their last taste bud.
Conagra Brands, the manufacturer of Celeste frozen pizzas, has decided to stop making the pies, according to Conagra President and CEO John Brase.
Brase announced the decision on Sept. 30 during the company’s 2027 first-quarter earnings call. He said Conagra is simplifying and reviewing its portfolio. The company owns other well-known brands including Slim Jim, Duncan Hines, Hunts, Marie Callender's, Reddi-wip, Vlasic, Birds Eye, Orville Redenbacher's, Swiss Miss, Snack Pack, Hebrew National and more.
“One early example is our decision to exit the Celeste frozen pizza business,”
Brase said. “It allows us to redirect our resources toward brands and categories where we have greater scale and stronger growth potential.”
When USA TODAY contacted Conagra Brands on Oct. 9 to ask for a discontinuation timeline, the company said it will sell its current inventory but has already stopped producing Celeste pizza. Once the inventory is sold, there will be no more products.
Here’s what else Brase said about the Celeste frozen pizza brand and its future.
CEO: Discontinuing pizza, more decisions should lead to improved profit margins over the next 1½ years
During last week’s earnings call, Brase said Conagra's decision to stop making Celeste frozen pizzas is part of a plan to simplify its operations.
The company has also taken steps to establish clearer ownership and "accelerate decision-making.”
According to Brase, nixing Celeste pizzas will increase the company’s profit margin in the long run.
“The benefits will build over time, with a majority expected to be realized over the next 12 to 18 months," Brase said.
How did Celeste Pizza begin?
Celeste Pizza is named after “Mama” Celeste Lizzio, who began cooking the popular pies at a restaurant she opened in Chicago in 1937 with her husband, Anthony, according to Reference.org.
The couple closed the restaurant in 1962 but continued selling their pizzas to other eateries. When the Quaker Oats Co. acquired Celeste pizzas in 1969, it became one of the top-selling brands in the 1970s, with Lizzio being prominently featured in the brand's TV advertising. Conagra Brands acquired Celeste pizzas in 2018, amid declining sales.
Conagra's acquisition of the pizza brand came 30 years after Lizzio died of a heart condition in 1988 at age 80, according to Reference.org.
Fans of the brand said in a Reddit thread that they will miss the pizza.
"I lived on these for months at a time when I was broke," Redditor Ian Kellogg wrote last week. "They kept me alive at a rough time in my life. I haven't had one in years, but I will miss them all the same."
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Contributing: Madeline Rhodes, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
Maya Washburn is a Trending News Reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Beloved frozen pizza brand sold at Walmart, Dollar Tree is discontinued
