Popular frozen pizza brand discontinued after nearly 60 years
Popular frozen pizza brand discontinued after nearly 60 years
Sarah Bawden Sun, October 11, 2026 at 12:05 AM UTC
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Popular frozen pizza brand Celeste will soon disappear from store shelves after 57 years.
(WPRI) — Popular frozen pizza brand Celeste will soon disappear from store shelves after 57 years.
Conagra Brands announced late last month that it has ceased production of the budget-friendly frozen pizzas due to low sales.
"We're making bold decisions now to focus our resources on our strongest opportunities and reduce complexity across manufacturing and procurement," Conagra Brands said.
By exiting the Celeste frozen pizza business, Conagra Brands explained that it will be able to redirect its resources "toward brands and categories where we have greater scale and stronger growth potential."
"We are taking an aggressive approach to reduce SKU complexity across our business," Conagra Brands continued. "The benefits [of discontinuing Celeste] will build over time, with a majority expected to be realized over the next 12 to 18 months."
Celeste is named after "Mama" Celeste Lizzio, who began cooking the pizzas at a restaurant she opened in Chicago in 1937 with her husband, according to Reference.org. The couple decided to close their restaurant in 1962, but started selling the pizzas to other eateries.
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The microwavable pizzas caught the eye of Quaker Oats Co., which acquired Celeste in 1969. Celeste became one of its top-selling brands in the 1970s, with Lizzio's face prominently featured on the boxes and in advertisements.
Conagra Brands acquired Celeste pizzas in 2018, more than 33 years after Lizzio died of a heart condition.
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