Tyson Foods announced January 20 it has acquired the assets of Bosco’s Pizza Company of Warren, Michigan. Bosco’s Pizza, famous for “The Original Bosco Stick,” produces a wide variety of stuffed bread sticks and frozen pizzas for food service and retail customers throughout the Midwest and at some retailers nationwide. Terms of the acquisition, which was completed January 18, were not disclosed.
Entrepreneur Mark Artinian founded the company as a carry-out pizzeria in 1988. In 1995, the company began producing frozen stuffed crust pizza and branched out into cheese sticks and other products shortly after that. Sales have increased from about $40 million in 2008 to $51 million in 2013.
“This is part of our company’s strategic plan to grow our domestic prepared foods business,” Donnie King, Tyson Foods’ president of prepared foods, customer and consumer solutions, said in a statement. “Bosco’s will be a good addition to our diversified portfolio of quality food offerings.”
The company employs about 150, all of whom are expected to become Tyson Foods team members. It will become part of Tyson Foods’ Prepared Foods division, but continue to operate under the Bosco’s Pizza Company name.
