Bellisio began with passion. Passion for good food. For entrepreneurship and energy. For trying new things while sticking to a classic work ethic. And for working hard to make meal time easier.
Born from beauty. Bellisio's roots can be traced back over a century to our founder, Jeno Paulucci, and his parents, Italian immigrants who settled in Minnesota in the early 1900s. Ettore and Michelina Paulucci emigrated from Bellisio Solfare (Beautiful Sulfur), Italy, to the Iron Range of Northeastern Minnesota, a picturesque area with rolling hills, pristine lakes, and unspoiled forests.
On July 7th, 1918, Ettore and Michelina welcomed their son Jeno into the world. Ettore worked as a miner and Michelina helped make ends meet by opening up her kitchen and catering her delicious pasta dishes—and an occasional batch of wine—to the growing town. Michelina loved to cook and believed that food should be beautiful, delicious, and enjoyed together. She served classic Italian favorites and also created new recipes that were based on local ingredients and inspired by the diversity of her new hometown. These early years helped shape Jeno’s dedicated work ethic and creative ambition, and fed his great passion for delicious food.
Michelina opened a small grocery store in the front room of their house to continue to support the family. Paulucci Grocery was open 7 days a week, from 7 am to 11 pm. Eager to help out, young Jeno worked before and after school and on weekends at the Daylight Market in Hibbing, MN. He earned much more than just a paycheck, and gained his lifelong perspective: "Do everything you can to deliver the highest quality and give the highest value."
At 17, enterprising Jeno became a traveling salesman for the C.A. Pearson company. Selling on straight commission, he learned quickly and went from earning just $57 his first week to pocketing over $1,000 by the end of week six. But after his wages were affected by questionable bookkeeping methods, Jeno left. Ethical, self-confident and focused, he decided to become his own boss and promote better values.
Jeno’s food empire started small, with an inspired decision to distribute bagged bean sprouts. Thanks to solid integrity, savvy business-sense, marketing brilliance, and Mama Michelina’s R&D advice, sales boomed. Chun King, Jeno’s first company, and first brand name, is still on grocery shelves today.
Jeno sold Chun King to R.J. Reynolds for $63 million in 1966, and a new company was born: R.J. Reynolds Foods. With an eye on consumer food trends and eating habits, our visionary entrepreneur was already dreaming up a new product. Jeno’s Pizza Rolls were an instant success – the right product introduced at the right time. Quick, convenient and tasty, Pizza Rolls were the perfect complement to increasingly busy lifestyles. In 1985, Jeno sold Jeno's Pizza Rolls to Pillsbury.
People weren't slowing down, and the microwave was becoming an indespensible appliance. Jeno settled on a practical answer to an underserved market: microwaveable frozen Italian entrees. Providing convenience, value and great taste, the flagship brand was called Michelina’s, named after Jeno’s mother. Michelina's recreated her delicious, authentic recipes, and made Italian dinners easy for everyone. The new company, Luigino’s, would eventually become Bellisio Foods.
After many successful years in the food industry, Jeno was honored as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for Florida. Later that year, he also won the Entrepreneur of the Year National Award. Two years later, he was the inaugural winner of the International Lifetime Achievement Award for Activism, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership. Jeno accepted with his usual humility and directed the recognition to his beautiful and beloved wife, Lois.
In 2007 the company name was changed to Bellisio Foods, Inc. The new name— “the beautiful foods company” —allowed for expansion beyond the Michelina’s brand and product line, and speaks to Jeno’s vision, the company's history, and inspiration for the future. Our name is a tribute to Jeno’s hometown of Bellisio Solfare, Italy, and also translates into English as “beautiful,” which aptly describes our company’s goals. We aim high, and we strive to achieve true beauty in our food, our day-to-day business, and the way we relate to the world around us.
A husband, father, grandfather and pasta-lover, Jeno Paulucci passed away on November 24, 2011 at the age of ninety-three, after sixty- four years of marriage. Through Bellisio, his legacy and vision will live on. Our goals stem from his, and we'll continue to provide innovative and convenient products to our customers and partners. We'll grow and maintain honest and loyal relationships while creating beautiful food.