Progresso

This article is about the American soup company. For other uses, see Progreso (disambiguation).

Progresso, a brand of General Mills, is an American food company that produces canned soups, canned beans, broths, chili, and other food products.

Progresso emerged from the merging of two prominent Italian importing companies in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1925 Vincent Taormina and Joseph Uddo merged their New Orleans, Louisiana based companies to form The Uddo and Taormina Corporation and created the Progresso label specializing in canned Italian food products, mostly soup and beans, sold since 1949. It remained a family owned company until 1969, when the company was sold to Imasco. The Pillsbury Company acquired Progresso in 1988. General Mills acquired Pillsbury in 2001.

Over the last 20 years, Progresso soup was often seen as an upmarket alternative to market leader Campbell, and as a meal replacement. The cans were larger than Campbell's and came ready to heat rather than being condensed, both of which helped them attain popularity before Campbell's released the similar "Chunky" line of products. Campbell's Soup Company has since gone on to produce several lines of ready-to-eat soups in reaction to Progresso's innovations.

See also

• Italians in New Orleans

External links

• Progresso