Ellio's Pizza
| Product type | Pizza |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1963 |
| Markets | United States |
| Website | ellios |
Ellio's Pizza is an American brand of frozen pizza owned and distributed by G.A. Productions LLC of Lodi NJ since 2020.
History
[edit]In 1963, Ellio's Pizza was founded by Greek immigrants Elias Betzios, George Liolis, and Manny Tzelios. The brand name was a combination of the names of its three co-founders.[1] Four years later, Ellio's introduced its signature "9 slice" pizza in a box comprising 3 rectangular pizzas, each divisible crosswise into three slices.[2]
The founders sold Ellio's to Purex Industries in 1971[3] and Betzios went on the create Betzios Pizza.[4][1] When Purex's consumer division was acquired by Greyhound in 1985, Ellio's joined the company's Armour-Dial subsidiary.[5]
In 1988, Canadian frozen food company McCain Foods acquired the Ellio's brand from the Dial Corporation, as it was then named, and continued pizza production in Lodi, NJ.[6][7] At the time, the frozen pizza brand had $30 million in annual sales and was outselling all competitors in the New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia markets.[8]
In 2006, Ellio's added a microwaveable pizza to its product line, adopting the more common round pizza form. In 2007, despite a distribution limited to the Northeastern U.S., Ellio's was the 9th best selling brand in the country, with sales totaling $34,880,060.[9] In 2009, the product line expanded further, with the introduction of italian sausage and "Pepperoni Supreme" pizza.[2]
In 2014, McCain Foods announced the sale of its North American pizza business, including the Ellio's brand and production facilities, to German food manufacturer Dr. Oetker.[7][10] The brand has continued to expand its variety. As of 2015, Ellio's is available in 8 different crust and topping configurations.[11] In 2018, it also introduced breadsticks.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Elias Betzios, a Founder of Holy Cross Whitestone Community, Dies at 91". The National Herald. 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ a b "Ellio's Pizza". Ellio's Pizza. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Hess, John L. (1972-09-25). "Shifting Patterns of Immigration Add New Flavor to the City's Melting Pot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "Federal Trade Commission Decisions" (PDF). FTC.gov. p. 30. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Evans, Heidi (1985-02-22). "Greyhound to Buy Purex's Consumer Division". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "COMPANY BRIEFS". The New York Times. 1988-10-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ a b Van Brenk, Debora (August 20, 2014). "Dr. Oetker buying McCain Foods pizza operations". The London Free Press. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "Be it pizza, orange juice or french fries, McCain is on the move buying and building". Quick Frozen Foods International. January 1, 1989. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2025 – via Allbusiness.com.
- ^ "AIB International". Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ "McCain sells frozen pizza business to Dr. Oetker". CBC News Canada. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "ellios.com - Our Pizza". Ellio's. Archived from the original on 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- ^ "Ellio's dives into the frozen breadsticks category". Drug Store News. March 6, 2018. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
External links
[edit]
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