New Jersey is home to a giant Italian food brand

If you like to prepare or serve Italian food in your home, you've probably purchased some product made by Cento Fine Foods. If you look in my pantry, and I did, you'll find plenty of Cento food products.

From tomato sauce to chicken stock to olives, roasted peppers, and then some, I buy their stuff. I happened to check last week after returning home from the supermarket. While I was at the store one of the reps from the company asked if I needed help finding something. I thanked him and told him I love the brand.

I wasn't sure if they were a local or national brand. It turns out they are both! Cento is headquartered in West Deptford in Gloucester County and they ship products nationwide. People all over the country enjoy these Italian-American products packed and shipped right here in New Jersey.

The founder of the company started with a $265 investment in a storage bin years ago almost sixty years ago and grew his business into the giant brand it is today.

After returning to his family's row home in South Philadelphia after serving in WWII, Alfred Ciccotelli went to work for a local food distributor and the rest is history. Mr. Ciccotelli passed away in 2013 at his home in South Jersey just a month shy of the company's 50th anniversary at the age of 86. Some of the company's other proprietary brands are Anna, Ferrara, Bellino just to name a few.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.