Francesco Rinaldi is a brand of

pasta sauce Tomato sauce (also known as ''salsa roja'' in Spanish or ''salsa di pomodoro'' in Italian) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish, rather than as a condiment. Tomato sauces are ...

with an Italian flavor. It is manufactured as the only private-label product of the independent, privately owned LiDestri Foods (formerly Cantisano Foods), which also operates as a contract food manufacturer.

History

The Cantisano Family created

Ragú Ragú () is an American brand of Italian-style sauces and condiments owned, in North America, by Mizkan, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Symington's, a private-label food manufacturer. The sister product to Ragú, known as Ragule ...

in 1937, sold it in 1970 (the Ragu Company would later become part of

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy ...

and then to

Mizkan is a Japanese company that produces vinegars (including seasoned rice vinegars, balsamic vinegars, and wine vinegars), mustards, salad dressings, authentic East Asian sauces, nattō, and other food products. It is based in Handa, Aichi Pr ...

), and later founded Cantisano Foods. Ralph Cantisano purchased Francesco Rinaldi in 1981 from Francesco Rinaldi's sons (Anthony, Thomas, and Joseph). Francesco Rinaldi started the family business in 1940. Ralph Cantisano started selling Francesco Rinaldi in 1982, and marketed their new pasta sauce as tasting more Italian with his famous catchphrase "As I got older, I got better" spoken in television commercials. Later, Cantisano Foods offered a

T-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...

with Ralph Cantisano's spoken line. Another line, "Ciao Francesco Rinaldi!", was popularized at the end of its commercials. Ralph Cantisano retired in 1998, and in 2002, the company was renamed LiDestri Foods. Their current slogan, "Made by Italians. Enjoyed by everyone.", was then unveiled. The CEO of LiDestri Food & Beverage is Giovanni LiDestri. Ralph Cantisano died in 2007 at age 84.

References

External links

*
LiDestri Food & Beverage website
Products introduced in 1982 Food product brands {{Food-product-stub