It might not seem like it when you’re serving yourself up a big ole scoop of tomato sauce to go over your al dente pasta, but the tomato sauce industry is among the most profitable food markets in the world. The tradition of making and eating tomato sauce has been around since the 1600s, and the food’s popularity is certainly not diminishing.
Celebrated for its versatility, bold flavors, and smooth and velvety texture, tomato sauce is used in a wide variety of cuisines, from Mexican and Italian to French and Australian, and it seems its conventionality is only increasing as widespread sales of tomato sauces continue to rise across nearly all of the world’s major consumer markets.
Today, the global tomato sauce market is valued at a staggering $13.47 billion, with industry experts forecasting a 3.2 percent growth rate between now and 2027.
Tomato sauce, the once Italian favorite, is now loved by millions of people across the globe. The creamy red sauce’s popularity only continues to rise as the middle class grows. More and more people turn to pasta as an alternative to rice, thus looking to buy cans and jars of tasty, nutritious, and easy-to-cook prepackaged tomato sauces.
Now, many of the world’s largest tomato sauce brands are further increasing their profitability by appealing to an even wider audience.
Ready-made tomato sauce brands featuring organic ingredients, low sodium alternatives, vegan and vegetarian options, and sauces targeted for individuals with specific diets, like gluten-free and low carb, are now readily available at grocery chains across the globe.
Across the world, several major brands are driving the impressive growth of the tomato sauce industry. To break it down, we’ve assembled a list of the ten largest tomato sauce brands in the world, ranked in descending order by their average annual reported revenues.
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If you’re looking for that perfect blend of ripened tomatoes and traditional spices in your go-to tomato sauce, look no further. Here are the top 10 largest and most popular brands of tomato sauce in the world:
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Classico. Chicago, United States
Annual revenue: $26.12 billion Number of employees: 38,757
Classico is probably about as classic as you can get when it comes to the best tomato sauce. Owned by the billion-dollar Kraft Heinz Company, Classico sales account for a sizable portion of the food processing conglomerate’s reported $26.12 billion in yearly revenue.
Combining ripe vine tomatoes, bold cheeses, olive oil, fresh basil, garlic, and onions, Classico provides customers with a tomato sauce like no other. With authentic Italian flavors and rich and creamy textures, it’s no surprise that Classico ranks as the largest tomato sauce brand in the world in terms of total annual revenue.
Packaged in traditional mason jars, Classico markets and manufactures red sauces, pesto sauces, pizza sauces, riserva sauces, organic sauces, alfredo sauces, and tomato cream sauces.
Some of the brand’s most popular blends are listed in their line of Family Favorites and include parmesan and romano tomato sauce, traditional tomato sauce, and meat sauce.
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Prego. Camden, United States
Annual revenue: $8.69 billion Number of employees: 19,000
Coming in second in the ranking of the world’s largest tomato sauce brands is none other than Prego, an international best-selling pasta and tomato sauce label owned by the Campbell Soup Company.
Founded in 1981, Prego has grown significantly in its 40-year history and now markets and manufacturers more than 35 flavors of tomato sauces, including classic Italian sauces and bold alfredo sauces.
Among Prego’s best-selling sauces are their creamy vodka Italian sauce, lower-calorie traditional Italian sauce, tomato basil garlic Italian sauce, marinara Italian sauce, mini meatball meat sauce, mushroom, and green pepper sauce, and four cheese alfredo sauce.
In addition to their more traditional varieties of tomato sauce, the brand also sells an assortment of dairy-free sauces, vegan and vegetarian sauces, and FODMAP-friendly sauces, which are specifically targeted for individuals who are sensitive to onions and garlic.
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Hunt’s. Chicago, United States
Annual revenue: $7.83 billion Number of employees: 16,500
As the third-largest tomato sauce brand globally, Hunt’s prides itself in using the minimal amount of processing necessary to create their beloved sauces. Hunt’s sauces are made using no added sugar or corn syrup, instead using all-natural, vine-ripened tomatoes, salt, spices, and other natural seasonings.
Founded in 1888 in Sebastopol, California, the brand has been canning tomato sauce for more than 133 years. What was once a small fruit and vegetable packing and canning operation is now one of the best profitable businesses in the world’s tomato sauce market.
Some of their most popular sauces are traditional tomato sauce, tomato sauce with roasted garlic, tomato sauce with basil, garlic, and oregano, and an extensive line of pre-seasoned pasta sauces, including four-cheese sauce, garlic and herb sauce, meat sauce, chunky vegetable sauce, and traditional pasta sauce.
Today, Hunt’s is owned by Conagra brands, a billion-dollar American food processing company, and also sells a variety of other food products, including tomato paste, diced, whole, crushed, and pureed tomatoes, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and other canned products, like potatoes and peaches.
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Fresh Del Monte Produce. Contra Costa Centre, United States
Annual revenue: $3.8 billion Number of employees: 40,500
With an estimated 54.15 million annual consumers and a reported $3.8 billion in revenue each year, Del Monte ranks fourth on the list of the world’s largest tomato sauce brands.
Founded in 1886, Del Monte Foods has been marketing and manufacturing tomato sauce — as well as a plethora of other food products, including canned fruits and vegetables and other snacks — for the past 153 years.
Del Monte’s traditional tomato sauce is one of the business’s best-selling products, boasting natural tomato flavors without artificial flavors or preservatives. With five-star reviews all around for product quality and value, the company’s customers rave about Del Monte’s tomato sauces’ flavor, affordability, and high-quality ingredients.
Headquartered in California, Del Monte tomato sauces are distributed across the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, the Middle East, the Philippines, India, Southeast Asia, and Kenya.
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Barilla. Parma, Italy
Annual revenue: $4.32 billion Number of employees: 8,481
If you’re looking for authentic Italian cuisine or sauce, look no further than Barilla. Not only is the Italian multinational food company the largest pasta producer and distributor in the world, but it also manufactures and markets the world’s fifth-largest tomato sauce brand.
Founded in 1877 as an Italian bakery, Barilla quickly grew from a local bakeshop to a regional company to a global leader in tomato sauce and pasta distribution in nearly every major market across the globe. Today, the family-owned food company owns 16 successful brands available in more than 100 countries internationally.
While many of Barilla’s products sell out on shelves worldwide, tomato sauce remains among its most popular goods and is celebrated for its authenticity and flavor. Among the brand’s most bought tomato sauces are the fire-roasted marinara sauce, tomato and basil sauce, and traditional tomato sauce.
Ragú. Handa, Japan
Annual revenue: $2.18 billion Number of employees: 155,000
Ragú’s tagline is “America’s favorite pasta sauce brand,” but, according to the numbers, it’s also one of the world’s most popular tomato sauce labels.
Owned by the Japanese food processing company Mizkan Holdings — and previously by multinational consumer conglomerate Unilever — Ragú has been marketing and manufacturing tomato sauce across the globe since 1937.
In its 84 year history, the brand has grown significantly. It now distributes an extensive line of tomato sauces, including simple and traditional sauces, Old World Style sauces, chunky sauces, cheese sauces, and pizza sauces.
Many of the most popular sauces, including all Ragú Simply Sauces, are made using 100 percent olive oil and whole foods like tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil, resulting in rich and bold flavors.
In the United States, Ragú is one of the highest-selling and most popular tomato and pasta sauce brands in the country. With a sauce processing and packaging facility in Owensboro, Kentucky, and a tomato processing facility in Stockton, California, American’s have a near-constant supply for Ragú’s home-inspired sauces.
Goya Foods. Jersey City, United States
Annual revenue: $1.5 billion Number of employees: 4,000
Unlike many of the other largest tomato sauce brands globally selling traditional Italian tomato sauce, Goya Foods markets and manufactures Spanish-style tomato sauce designed to add a “Latin feel” to cooking through a secret blend of spices and natural ingredients.
Ranking as the seventh-largest tomato sauce brand in the world, it’s estimated that 12.27 million people buy Goya tomato sauce each year, contributing to the company’s $1.5 billion in annual revenue.
The beloved tomato sauce is celebrated for being fat-free and cholesterol-free and the perfect agent for thickening soups, stews, and other beans, meat, and fish dishes.
Founded in 1936 by Spanish immigrants, Goya has become the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States and prides itself on being “the premier source for authentic Latino cuisine.”
In addition to their line of tomato sauces, the family-owned company also distributes olive oils, beans and grains, beverages, seafood and meat, dairy and deli products, flours, pantry items, seasonings, snacks, frozen foods, and more.
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Mutti. Basilicanova, Italy
Annual revenue: $450 million Number of employees: 1,000
This million-dollar Italian food processing company has been in the business of making tomato sauce for more than 120 years, so it’s no surprise that they rank among the largest tomato sauce brands in the world today.
Founded in 1899 by Callisto and Marcellino Mutti, the food corporation specializes in producing and distributing tomato sauce, tomato pulp, tomato paste, tomato puree, peeled tomatoes, and ketchup in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Australia.
With a mission to “raise the tomato to its highest expression,” Mutti prides itself on providing customers with the highest quality sauces. Among their most popular products is their tomato puree sauce, or Passata, best known for its bright red color, sweet flavor, and velvety texture.
Rao’s Homemade. New York, United States
Annual revenue: $59 million Number of employees: 303
With nearly $60 in average annual revenue, Rao’s Homemade tomato sauce ranks as the world’s eighth-largest tomato sauce brand. This New York favorite is primarily sold online and in gourmet supermarkets across the United States.
Unlike many of the other brands included in this list, Rao’s Homemade tomato sauce originated from a restaurant. The sauce was originally only served at Rao’s, a southern Italian restaurant in Manhattan founded by Joshua Anthony Rao in 1896. Now, the famously rich and creamy tomato sauce is used in millions of kitchens across the world.
Rao’s Homemade sauces are world-famous for using slow-cooked, sweet Italian plum tomatoes and classic, fresh ingredients like olive oil, onion, garlic, basil, and oregano, to create velvety and bold tomato sauces. Some of the brand’s most popular tomato sauces are their traditional marinara sauce and tomato basil pasta sauce.
Cento Fine Foods. Thorofare, United States
Annual revenue: $51 million Number of employees: 122
Rounding out the list of the biggest tomato sauce brands in the world is Cento, an Italian food processing company based in New Jersey. Since its inception in 1963, Cento Fine Foods has grown to create and distribute more than 1,000 Italian-style products, including a line of award-winning tomato sauces.
Focused on cost-effectiveness and high-quality products, Cento prides itself on providing food products for the best consumer value that can be used for all culinary needs.
Cento tomato sauces are made using certified San Marzano tomatoes and other fine ingredients most readily recognized by their bold red and yellow labels. The brand’s most popular products include their traditional tomato sauce and seasoned pizza sauce.