A Chicago-based food manufacturer will soon stop making a frozen pizza brand sold at Harris Teeter, Kroger and other grocery retailers.
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.
“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.”
In addition to Harris Teeter and Kroger, other stores that previously sold the pizza include Dollar
Tree and Walmart, according to the companies’ websites.
When USA TODAY contacted Conagra Brands on Oct. 9 to ask for a discontinuation timeline, the company referred to its recent earnings call.
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 during 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 this 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."
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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Once-beloved frozen pizza brand sold at Kroger, Walmart is discontinued
