The Major Frozen Pizza Brand That's Owned By Nestlé

In the grocery sector, you might think your favorite cookies or crackers are from standalone brands, but you'd likely be wrong. Kraft Heinz, for example, owns Oscar Mayer meats, Ore-Ida potato products, and even Jell-O powders and desserts. General Mills is the parent company of brands like Betty Crocker, Chex Mix, Pillsbury, and even Annie's Organic. Nestlé is another huge food corporation, and it even has its own pizza division. So, it might surprise you to learn that DiGiorno is actually under Nestlé's umbrella, and it has been for over 16 years.

Yes, the famous "rising-crust" pizza, which became popular in the 1990s, was acquired by Nestlé from Kraft in 2010 as part of a whopping $3.7 billion deal. Shortly thereafter, the brand started diversifying its product range, adding appetizers like breadsticks and desserts like chocolate chip cookies alongside its frozen pizzas. In the years since, it has also added new, crust-focused pizzas to its lineup, including croissant, stuffed, wood-fired, and even gluten-free crusts, as well as a variety of exciting flavors, like pepperoni with Mike's Hot Honey and an Italian meat trio.

When Nestlé purchased DiGiorno from Kraft in 2010, it didn't just acquire a single brand. In fact, it bought Kraft's entire line of freezer-aisle pies. As a result, Nestlé also obtained Tombstone — one of the world's first mass-produced frozen pizzas, which Kraft had previously acquired in 1986.

Nestlé also obtained the license to sell California Pizza Kitchen-branded frozen pizzas. California Pizza Kitchen had its glamorous beginnings as a Beverly Hills restaurant chain, and Kraft originally licensed the CPK brand name for frozen pizzas in 1999, the year they debuted in grocery stores. Finally, Nestlé acquired Jack's — a budget-friendly brand Kraft bought in 1992 — whose offerings mostly sell for less than $4 (though you can always elevate the frozen pizza with some clever add-ons or unexpected toppings for a more personalized meal).

The acquisition would prove to be a wise choice, as the frozen pizza sector grew by a whopping 15% in just the two years after the sale. Additionally, it's projected to reach almost $37 billion by 2035, according to Vantage Market Research.