Conagra Brands discontinues Celeste pizza, with Mama Celeste Pizza now set to phase out by early 2027 after the company publicly said it is moving out of the brand. John Brase said the company sees no future in certain brands and categories, and he linked the decision to small, really unprofitable or low-profit brands.
Brase said on the earnings call on September 30: “There are certain brands and categories where we simply just don't see a future, and it just makes sense to exit those small, really unprofitable brands — or low-profit brands — as soon as possible.” For shoppers, that means the brand is not disappearing at once; it is being wound down over time.
John Brase on low-profit brands
Brase’s comment points to a narrow business filter: Conagra is not describing a broad reset of its freezer aisle, but a decision to leave product lines it sees as too small or too weak to keep. That helps explain why the brand can be discontinued now while still remaining in stores for a stretch.
The phaseout creates a split timeline. Mama Celeste Pizza is being discontinued, yet the source says it may still be available until early 2027. For customers who buy it regularly, the practical effect is that the product can remain on shelves for months while inventory is drawn down.
Mama Celeste Lizio and Anthony Lizio
The brand traces back to Mama Celeste Lizio and Anthony Lizio, who opened Kedzie Beer Garden in Chicago in 1937 and sold it in 1962 to focus on frozen Italian foods under the Celeste name. Celeste was bought by Quaker Oats in 1969, and Conagra acquired Celeste in 2018.
Mama Celeste Lizio later became the face of the products, with her likeness appearing on boxes and her catchphrase “Abbondanza!” used in ads. The brand also turned up in The Simpsons, Golden Girls and Tell Mom the Babysitter in the 1991 teen film Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.
early 2027 phaseout
The long exit fits a brand that had remained a fixed name in frozen pizza for decades, even as newer labels took more space in the category. Dave Portnoy tried the pizza during the pandemic and gave it a score of 6.4, one more marker of how widely recognized the brand still is.
What comes next is the drawdown itself. The useful question for shoppers is which Mama Celeste products, if any, stay available as the phaseout moves toward early 2027, because Conagra has already set the direction and given the end point.
