Schwans, a Minnesota company primarily in the direct to consumer (home delivery) food business, acquired the Tony’s Brand in 1970, and started selling the pizzas direct to consumers, and eventually, to grocery stores. Tony’s is part of a much larger portfolio at Schwans now, which also includes the Fruschetta and Red Baron pizza brands.
Schwans has 6,700 trucks in the US, delivering fresh and frozen food items to homes all over America. One might be surprised that in this day and age, this business had not only survived, but thrived. Worldwide, Schwans has over 18,000 employees!
Tony’s sells a variety of what I would call “value-priced” frozen pizza products, including their original crust, thin & crispy crust, individual pizzas, snack rolls, and individual microwavable snack pizzas.
I’m not sure which national pizza chain started the idea of using a crust, putting cheese and sauce on it, cutting it on a different bias, and calling it “pizza bread” or some variation, but for some reason I am thinking it was Little Caesars. But it has become common place at the national pizza chains, and has started to make it’s way into the frozen pizza sections of grocery stores. One might find “garlic cheese bread” as a selection, as I did with Tony’s; other brands sell a combination pack of frozen pizza and “breadsticks” such as one might order at a chain pizzeria. DiGiorno, a frozen pizza grand created by food giant Kraft, sells the combo product. DiGiorno was sold to Swiss food giant Nestle earlier this year. It joined other iconic frozen food brands in the Nestle portfolio, like Maggi, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, and Stouffer’s.
Tony’s Garlic Cheese Bread is part of Tony’s “original crust” pizza line, although the product does not have the word “pizza”on its box. Instructions call for baking the ‘pie’ at 425 for 9-11 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust is browned.
The taste is more than adequate for this type of value-priced product. If you slice it in long pieces, it’s cheese bread; triangles or squares, and topped with your leftovers, it’s a pizza. With the current promotion of a coupon on every box for one free game of bowling, basically you are getting the pizza for free (if you bowl).
If you’re looking for Tony’s products, you can find them in nearly every frozen food section of groceries across the US, or use the handy “Where to Buy” locator on their website. If you are interested in having Schwan’s food service deliver top-notch groceries and treats directly to your door, you can contact your local delivery point via the box in the upper left hand corner of their home page.
And if being a Schwans delivery person seems like a good career move for you, start the application process here.