Mezzetta

Mezzetta
Company typePrivate
FounderGiuseppe Luigi Mezzetta
Headquarters
American Canyon, California
,
United States
Area served
California
Productsolives, pickled peppers, pasta sauces
OwnerJeff Mezzetta
Websitemezzetta.com

G. L. Mezzetta, Inc., commonly known as Mezzetta, is a California food processor that packs olives, pickled peppers and other pickled vegetables in glass jars for retail sale. They also pack and sell wine-based pasta sauces under the Napa Valley Bistro brand name.

The privately held company is headquartered at 105 Mezzetta Ct., American Canyon, California.[1] It occupies a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) plant built in the 1990s in the Green Island Industrial Park at the northern edge of American Canyon.[2] The company selected the location because of the favorable business climate in American Canyon.[3] In 2011, after over a year of negotiation to expand operations with the city, the company indicated that it may move future growth to another state.[4] Mezzetta is among the top ten employers in Napa County.[5]

A gift basket of various Mezzetta products

The company was founded in San Francisco by Italian immigrant Giuseppe Luigi Mezzetta and his son Daniel in 1935. Originally, the company distributed imported specialty food items to delicatessens and restaurants in San Francisco.[6] Ron Mezzetta, Daniel's son, began managing the company in 1973. Mezzetta began packaging and distributing its food products for retail sale in 1980. In 1993, Mezzetta purchased Kona Coast Hawaiian Sauces and Marinades. In 1995, the company moved into a new factory in American Canyon, CA.[7] The company is now operated by fourth-generation family member Jeff Mezzetta, who serves as president.[8]

At one time, Mezzetta owned the Tulelake Horseradish brand, but sold that business to Beaverton Foods of Oregon.[9]

photo of Mezzetta plant
Mezzetta's plant in American Canyon, CA

The company sponsors an annual "Make That Sandwich" recipe contest, awarding a $25,000 first prize.[10]

  1. ^ "G. L. Mezzetta, Inc.: Private Company Information". Business Week. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  2. ^ Kisliuk, Bill (April 15, 2008). "Fortune Smiles on American Canyon". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  3. ^ Overfelt, Maggie (April 1, 2008). "A new Napa: No. 11: American Canyon, Calif. Open Spaces. Napa's bounty. A downtown still in the making". CNN Money.com and Fortune Small Business. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  4. ^ Waterson, Michael (September 15, 2011). "Mezzetta may forget about American Canyon expansion". Napa Valley Register. Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  5. ^ "Private-sector employers -- Napa County". Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  6. ^ "A brief HISTORY: From Italy to America". G. L. Mezzetta, Inc. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  7. ^ Chorneau, Tom (September 5, 1995). "Mezzetta Moving Business to Napa". Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  8. ^ "G. L. Mezzetta Inc. is in the Food Industry". BNET Industries. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  9. ^ Juillerat, Lee (May 11, 2007). "Tulelake Basin soil cracks out heat: Horseradish farmers operate certified organic operations". Salem, OR: Capital Press. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  10. ^ "Make That Sandwich". G. L. Mezzetta, Inc. Retrieved 21 December 2009.