Most People Didn’t Know That Pizza Rolls Were Invented Right Here In Minnesota

The Land of 10,000 Lakes is pretty well known for its innovations, which range from Post It Notes, seat belts, and waterskis to the battery-powered pacemaker and indoor shopping mall. But you may not realize that one of the most popular frozen snacks in the country is also a Minnesota invention. That's right - Pizza Rolls were born right here in the North Star State.

The story of Pizza Rolls starts with Minnesota business magnate Jeno Paulucci.

A serial entrepreneur from the Iron Range and proud Italian-American, Paulucci ran his empire from his eponymous building in the Canal Park district of Duluth.

The building is still there today, across from Grandma's and next to the Aerial Lift Bridge.

His first big hit was Chun King, a line of Americanized Asian foods.

Paulucci sold Chun King to R.J. Reynolds in 1966 for $63 million.

One of Paulucci's next big successes was the Jeno's brand of frozen foods.

This included frozen pizza.

Jeno's hit it big, though, when it combined the idea of pizza with an egg roll, a la Chun King, and gave birth to the Pizza Roll.

Jeno's Pizza Rolls were by far Paulucci's most successful product.

Paulucci sold his Jeno's Pizza Rolls brand to Minneapolis-based Pillsbury in 1985 for a tasty $135 million.

In 1993, Pillsbury began selling Pizza Rolls under its Totino's Brand - itself the brainchild of a Minnesota entrepreneur.

Pillsbury and the Totino's brand were, in turn, acquired by Golden Valley-based General Mills in 2001.

Today, General Mills sells and markets Totino's Pizza Rolls in a variety of flavors.

And Pizza Rolls, themselves, remain popular and, in fact, have become deeply imbedded in American pop culture.

From memes and sleeping bags to Christmas ornaments and television references, Pizza Rolls are just about everywhere these days!

So, there it is - we gave the world the Pizza Roll. If you're interested in seeing some of the Pizza Rolls-inspired products that folks have come up with, just check out Etsy!

Are you a fan of Totino's Pizza Rolls? Did you know they were a Minnesota invention? Let us know in the comments!