Who owns Progresso?
Progresso is owned by General Mills (the United States, NYSE: GIS), which acquired the brand on 31 October 2001 from Diageo, as part of a $10.5 billion deal that also included Pillsbury, Old El Paso and Häagen-Dazs.[1][2]
Evidence: General Mills, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-07-01, SEC EDGAR, 1 July 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- General Mills, Inc. verified
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Founded
- 1925
- Category
- Food › Meals & meal components › Soup
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: GIS
- Trademark registrant
- Pet Incorporated (USPTO)
- Last verified
- · 3 sources
About Progresso
Progresso was founded by Italian immigrants importing food to New Orleans in 1925 and became the main competitor to Campbell's in American canned soup, selling ready-to-eat soup rather than condensed. General Mills acquired it with Pillsbury in 2001. Ready-to-eat soup needs a larger can and costs more to ship, which is why Campbell's resisted the format for years.
What General Mills's annual report says about Progresso
Sentences about Progresso from General Mills's latest annual filing[1], copied word for word.
Demand for Progresso soup is higher during the fall and winter months.
Our Blue Buffalo and Progresso brands had risk of decreasing coverage and we continue to monitor these businesses.
The Progresso brand intangible asset also had risk of decreasing coverage.
How often General Mills names Progresso in its annual report
A plain count of the times the name appears in the text of each annual report, not counting the start of a sentence. A brand that an owner writes about more is usually one it treats as central.
Trademark record for Progresso
The USPTO record for the Progresso mark lists Pet Incorporated as the owner of record (serial number 88278834). A trademark is often held by a group company rather than the listed parent, so the registrant's name can differ from the owner named above.[3]
Ownership timeline of Progresso
- 2001 – present General Mills — acquired 31 October 2001 [1][2] verified
Where Progresso sits in General Mills
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full General Mills ownership tree →
See the full General Mills brand portfolio (18) →
Other brands owned by General Mills
General Mills controls 18 brands on Brandtree, 17 of them in food.
Also in food
- Annie's (1989)
- Betty Crocker (1921)
- Cheerios (1941)
- Chex (1937)
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch (1984)
- Fiber One (1985)
- Häagen-Dazs (1960)
- Larabar (2000)
- Lucky Charms (1964)
- Nature Valley (1975)
- Old El Paso (1938)
- Pillsbury (1872)
- Totino's (1951)
- Trix (1954)
- Wheaties (1924)
- Yoplait (1965)
Other brands in soup, and who owns them
The 16 brands in soup on Brandtree belong to 12 owners. The largest is Campbell's, with 2.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| College Inn | B&G Foods | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Campbell's | Campbell's | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Doña Gallina | Quala | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Knorr | Unilever | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Bosanska kuhinja | AS Holding | 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Baxters | Baxters Food Group | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Hügli | Bell Food Group | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
| Podravka soups | Podravka | 🇭🇷 Croatia |
About the owner: General Mills
General Mills is a publicly listed company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, founded in 1856. Brandtree records 18 brands under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: GIS.
General Mills grew out of Minneapolis flour milling in the nineteenth century and incorporated under its present name in 1928. Cereal, snack bars, yoghurt and pet food are its largest businesses, and it holds Häagen-Dazs in North America.
General Mills: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Progresso and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Progresso is not one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Progresso?
The parent company of Progresso is General Mills, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Progresso American?
Yes. Progresso originated in the United States in 1925 and its owner, General Mills, is also headquartered in the United States.
When did General Mills buy Progresso?
General Mills completed its acquisition of Progresso on 31 October 2001, after announcing the deal on 17 July 2000. The deal, which also included Pillsbury, Old El Paso and Häagen-Dazs, was valued at $10.5 billion (enterprise value).
Is Progresso still owned by General Mills?
Yes. As of 10 October 2026, Progresso is still owned by General Mills. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (3) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] General Mills, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-07-01 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 1 July 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [2] General Mills, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [3] USPTO: PROGRESSO, serial 88278834 — United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark registry; retrieved 4 October 2026.
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