Bertolli

In {{start date and age|1865|paren=y}}, the Bertolli company was founded by Francesco Bertolli and his wife, Caterina, in Lucca, Tuscany, Kingdom of Italy. They began by selling produce such as wine, cheese, olives, and olive oil.{{Cite web|url=https://essentials.bertolli.com/expert-olive-oil-brand/|title=Bertolli Olive Oil Brings 150 Years of Expertise|date=2019-05-02|website=Bertolli|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-24}}

The company was managed by the Bertolli family until 1972, when the company was acquired by Alimont (part of Montedison Group). Alimont was later changed its name to Alivar then taken over by Società Meridionale di Elettricità (SME), an Italian state-owned conglomerate. SME later reorganised Bertolli and other food brands into Cirio Bertolli De Rica.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

In 1994, Unilever acquired Bertolli from Fisvi, a financial company that previously acquired Cirio Bertolli De Rica during the breakup of SME.{{Cite web|title=Anche l'olio Bertolli è diventato spagnolo - Il Tirreno|url=https://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/2008/07/22/LH2PO_LH201.html|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Archivio - Il Tirreno|language=it}}

In 2008, Unilever sold the olive oil business to Grupo SOS (currently Grupo Deoleo), Spain’s second-largest food group, for £500m as part of its disposal of non-core businesses. The transaction included the sale of the Italian Maya, Dante, and San Giorgio olive oil and seed oil businesses, as well as the factory at Inveruno, Province of Milan, Lombardy.{{cite web | title= Unilever disposes Bertolli Olive Oil to Grupo SOS | publisher= Unilever | date= 21 July 2008 | url= http://www.unilever.com/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/UnileverdisposesBertolliOliveOiltoGrupoSOS.aspx | access-date= 2008-07-28 | archive-date= 2009-03-03 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090303104833/http://www.unilever.com/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/UnileverdisposesBertolliOliveOiltoGrupoSOS.aspx | url-status= dead }}

In August 2012, the frozen foods business under the Bertolli brand name was sold by Unilever to ConAgra Foods.{{cite news| url= http://www.conagrafoods.com/news-room/news-ConAgra-Foods-Announces-Agreement-to-Acquire-Bertolli-and-PF-Changs-Frozen-Meals-Businesses-From-Unilever-PLC-1719917| title= ConAgra Foods Inc Completes Acquisition of Bertolli and P.F. Chang's Frozen Meals Businesses from Unilever PLC | publisher= ConArgaFoods.com | date= 30 July 2012 | access-date=2014-10-25}}

On 22 May 2014, Unilever agreed to sell its North American pasta sauce business under the Ragú and Bertolli brands to Mizkan Holdings for US$2.15 billion,{{cite web|author=Bray, Chad|url= https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/unilever-to-sell-ragu-and-bertolli-brands/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0| title=Unilever to Sell Ragu and Bertolli Brands|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 May 2014}}{{cite news|title=Consumer goods major Unilever sells Ragu and Bertolli brands|url=http://www.japanherald.com/index.php/sid/222240113/scat/c4f2dd8ca8c78044/ht/Consumer-goods-major-Unilever-sells-Ragu-and-Bertolli-brands|access-date=2014-05-22|publisher=Japan Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523034556/http://www.japanherald.com/index.php/sid/222240113/scat/c4f2dd8ca8c78044/ht/Consumer-goods-major-Unilever-sells-Ragu-and-Bertolli-brands|archive-date=2014-05-23|url-status=dead}} As part of the deal, Mizkan obtained the Bertolli brand and trademark and licensed them to ConAgra, Deoleo, and Unilever at that time.{{efn|Trademarks related to Bertolli were reassigned from Unilever PLC to R&B Foods, Inc., a special-purpose company owned by Mizkan America, Inc. and today assigned to Mizkan America, Inc.}}

In 2018, with the spin-off of Unilever's spread business as Upfield (now Flora Food Group), Bertolli spread business and licence are now managed by that company.{{Cite web|title=Our spreads & Gennaro Contaldo's Pasta Recipes {{!}} Bertolli UK|url=https://www.bertolli.co.uk/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Upfield|language=en-GB}}

In 2021, Unilever divested its European pasta sauce and mayonnaise business under Bertolli brand and licence to Enrico-Glasbest, a Dutch food manufacturer.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-04|title=Handelsbedrijf Enrico-Glasbest neemt Bertolli-sauzen over van Unilever|url=https://www.nu.nl/economie/6100086/handelsbedrijf-enrico-glasbest-neemt-bertolli-sauzen-over-van-unilever.html|access-date=2021-01-19|website=NU|language=nl}}

The frozen meals sold by Bertolli are branded under "Meals for One", "Meals for Two" and "Dessert" categories.{{Cite web|title = Frozen Meals|url = http://www.villabertolli.com/product-category/frozen-meals|access-date = 2015-07-23|archive-date = 2015-07-24|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150724071718/http://www.villabertolli.com/product-category/frozen-meals|url-status = dead}} Sales fell in the 2014 year for the frozen foods brands. ConAgra also focused in 2015 on growth in private-label products that retailers sell under their own brand.{{Cite news|title = UPDATE 2-ConAgra says recovery in private-label business to take longer|url = https://www.reuters.com/article/conagra-foods-results-idUSL3N0U240Y20141218|newspaper = Reuters|date = 2014-12-18|access-date = 2015-07-23|archive-date = 2015-07-24|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150724072429/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/conagra-foods-results-idUSL3N0U240Y20141218|url-status = live}}

Bertolli's market share in pasta sauce in 2015 was 7.2% behind Ragú and Prego.{{Cite web|title = Ragu, Bertolli Make Agency Change Under New Ownership|date = 22 June 2015|url = http://adage.com/article/agency-news/ragu-bertolli-make-agency-change-ownership/299153/|access-date = 2015-07-23}}

Some controversy emerged in 2010 when Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil was identified as one of the olive oils mislabeled as "extra virgin" in a study by University of California, Davis.{{cite web|url= http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/research/files/oliveoilfinal071410updated.pdf/view|title= Tests indicate that imported "extra virgin" olive oil often fails international and USDA standards|publisher= Olive Center, University of California, Davis|date= July 2010|access-date= 2014-10-25|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170926232735/http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/research/files/oliveoilfinal071410updated.pdf/view|archive-date= 2017-09-26|url-status= dead|author-last1=Frankel|author-first1=E. N. |author-last2=Mailer|author-first2=R. J. |author-last3=Shoemaker|author-first3=C. F. |author-last4=Wang|author-first4=S. C. |author-last5=Flynn|author-first5=J. D.}}

In 2018, parent company Deoleo agreed to pay a US$7 million settlement{{cite web|url=https://www.fooddive.com/news/olive-oil-producer-claims-victory-in-mislabeling-and-false-claims-lawsuits/543062/|last=Siegner |first=Cathy |date=November 28, 2018|title=Olive oil producer claims victory in mislabeling and false claims lawsuits|work=Food Dive|access-date=May 10, 2019}} to resolve a class action lawsuit which had alleged that the company had misrepresented Bertolli olive oil, and committed to undertake several actions to correct such misrepresentation.{{cite news|last1=Bucher|first1=Anne|title=Bertolli Olive Oil Class Action Lawsuit Settled for $7M|url=https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/841500-bertolli-olive-oil-class-action-lawsuit-settled-7m/|access-date=2018-04-25|work=Top Class Actions|date=6 April 2018}}

The suit had alleged that it was misleading for Bertolli to advertise its olive oil as being "Imported from Italy" when the oils actually came from olives grown and pressed in Greece, Chile, Spain, Australia, Turkey, and Tunisia, and had merely been mixed and bottled in Italy.{{cite news|last1=Colman|first1=Tracy|title=Deoleo Inc. Charged with Mislabeling Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil|url=https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/814809-deoleo-inc-charged-mislabeling-bertolli-extra-virgin-olive-oil/|access-date=2018-04-25|work=Top Class Actions|date=8 August 2017}}

Deoleo removed the phrase "Imported from Italy" from its products and committed not to use similar phrasing in the future unless the oil is derived entirely from olives grown and pressed in Italy. Additionally, the suit alleged that the clear bottles used by Bertolli for its oil were inadequate to protect them from sunlight and temperature extremes, such that the olive oil would not meet the "extra virgin" quality standard by the time it reached consumers.

As part of this settlement, Deoleo implemented several new practices to help ensure that its oil would meet the "extra virgin" standard at the time of sale and use:

• using dark green bottles to protect its extra-virgin olive oil from photooxidation
• implementing stricter testing protocols
• disclosing on the bottle the harvest date of the olives used to make the oil
• shortening the “Best by” period indicated on the bottle

On 15 November 2018, parent company Deoleo was granted an injunction against Natural Solutions Magazine, preventing the magazine from continuing false and misleading statements against Bertolli and one of Deoleo's other brands Carapelli.

• Deoleo
• Olive oil

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• [http://www.bertolli.com/ Official website]

{{ConAgra}}

{{Upfield}}

Category:Conagra Brands brands

Category:Former Unilever brands

Category:Italian cuisine

Category:Mizkan brands

Category:Flora Food Group brands

Category:Pasta sauce brands

Category:Olive oil