Mancini Foods achieved a milestone that very few businesses reach, but its products have disappeared from store shelves and its future remains in doubt after multiple Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings.
Researcher Vicki TenHaken, who has studied U.S. companies that have been in business for a century or more, identified at least 1,200 businesses in continuous, independent operation for 100 years or more in 2020. She estimated that those businesses represented just 0.02% of U.S. companies.
In fact, making it 25 years is rare, according to U.S. government statistics.
|
Business milestone |
Survival rate |
|---|---|
|
5 years |
48.9% |
|
10 years |
33.7% |
|
15 years |
25.6% |
|
26 years |
15.7% |
|
Source: October 2026 BLS report |
Mancini Foods made it 104 years, but whether it sees 105 remains a major question, as the company has ceased operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to documents on PacerMonitor.
Mancini Foods is family-owned
Mancini Brands (Mancini Foods) is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated food manufacturer, specializing in retail, foodservice, and industrial packaging, located in Zolfo Springs, Fla.
The brand traces its roots back to New Britain, Conn, where it was founded in 1922 by Antonio Mancini, an Italian immigrant.
“During his time in New Britain, Connecticut, he owned a small Italian grocery store and started a macaroni factory with his wife Margherita. Antonio would long for an Italian delicacy he used to have as a child: Sweet Roasted Red Bell Peppers,” Musco Food shared.
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Since he could not find the product on the market, he decided to make his own.
“Taking matters into his own hands, he started to roast his specialty ‘Pepperoni Dolce Arrostiti’ which became a hit with his neighbors. As demand for his favorite childhood delicacy grew, so did business. In 1922, Antonio, Margherita and their six children began operations for Mancini Packing Company, concentrating on the production of peppers and leaving the grocery and macaroni business behind,” the site shared.
Now, 104 years later, the company is fighting for survival.
- Mancini Foods stopped production in January 2026, before filing for bankruptcy, after struggling to obtain the working capital needed to continue manufacturing.
- Its products include fire-roasted red peppers, fried peppers, cayenne peppers, and sautéed onions.
Mancini Foods left Connecticut for Zolfo, Florida, in 1940.
“There, peppers are pushed onto conveyor belts and inspected by hand, then discarded if they show any quality defects. The ones that pass inspection are sent up a vertical belt, which takes them to a roofed enclosure outside the factory walls. From there, they go into a cylindrical barrel roaster, which roasts the peppers with 1,500-degree Fahrenheit flames,” Musco Food added.
An online check across multiple zip codes shows Mancini’s products listed as out of stock at Publix. The same was true when looking for Mancini products on Walmart’s website. The pages listed the items, but they were marked “out of stock.”
The Mancini Foods website has also been taken down, but the company’s LinkedIn page remains operational.
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Mancini Foods key bankruptcy bullets
The company actually has multiple Chapter 11 filings covering related companies.
- Mancini Brands LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Oct. 8, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida.
- Case number: 8:26-bk-09155-CPM.
- Mancini Foods LLC filed a separate Chapter 11 case on Nov. 4, 2026, in the same court.
- Case number: 8:26-bk-10123-LER.
- Both companies are associated with 3500 Mancini Place, Zolfo Springs, Florida.
- A motion filed Nov. 4 seeks joint administration of the three related cases, including a third affiliate, Mancini’s, Inc., in the Florida Middle Bankruptcy Court.
- Total liabilities: More than $3 million, according to the bankruptcy filing information reported by WhatNow.
- Assets: Approximately $105,136, according to the same report.
- Creditor count: The filing lists an estimated 100 to 199 creditors.
- Unsecured creditors: The filing indicates that unsecured creditors may receive no distribution after administrative expenses are paid.
- Largest disclosed creditor: Hancock Whitney Bank, owed $1,025,009, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal’s bankruptcy records listing.
- Hancock Whitney lawsuit: The bank filed a contract-indebtedness lawsuit in Hardee County in March 2026 against Mancini Brands, Alan Mancini, and Deborah Mancini.
- Other named creditors: PickWick Capital Partners and NextEra Energy Services appear on the unsecured creditor list.
What’s next for Mancini Foods
Chapter 11 bankruptcy might not mean the end of Mancini’s products.
“Mancini has lined up a deal to sell to Bay View Food Products Co., another century-old and family-owned food brand based in Milwaukee,” Tampa Business Journal reported.
President and CEO Alan Mancini and his wife took majority ownership of the company in late 2022 when they led a buyout of other family members.
Gross revenue had reached $2.25 million in 2024 before falling to $1.64 million in 2025 and $52,700 year to date, according to the filing.
The bankruptcy court needs to approve the sale of the company.
The proposed sale includes approximately $462,000 worth of equipment at Mancini’s 50,000-square-foot Zolfo Springs facility.
Related: 57-year-old children’s chain considers Chapter 11, liquidation
