A Florida food brand with roots stretching back to 1922 has filed for bankruptcy after halting production earlier this year. Mancini Brands, known for roasted peppers of the kind used in turkey pesto panini, is now pursuing a sale, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
The company filed for Chapter 11 protection on October 8, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. Its case is based in Tampa and lists a business address in Zolfo Springs, in Hardee County.
Production stopped before the filing
Mancini stopped production earlier in the year after struggling to obtain working capital, according to an October 12 Tampa Bay Business Journal report.
The same report says the longtime Publix supplier has lined up a sale to another family-owned business in Wisconsin. The report describes an effort to sell the business after the production halt, with the Chapter 11 case now underway.
Mancini’s bankruptcy docket identifies the debtor as Mancini Brands, LLC, and lists the case under Subchapter V, the small-business provisions of Chapter 11. Judge Catherine Peek McEwen is overseeing the proceeding.
Chapter 11 can provide a framework for restructuring debts or selling assets. The filing itself does not complete a sale or establish that production will resume under new ownership.
A family business that began with a canning machine
Mancini’s history reaches much further back than the current bankruptcy case. The brand describes itself as a four-generation family business founded in 1922.
According to its own history, Antonio Mancini was running a grocery business when he accepted a canning machine from a customer to settle an unpaid bill. That piece of equipment became the starting point for the family’s food-packing operation.
The company built its identity around Italian-style peppers and onions, the sorts of ready-to-use ingredients that can turn up in sandwiches, salads and pizza toppings.
Its catalog includes sweet roasted red peppers, fried peppers with onions, sautéed onions and hot cayenne peppers. The range extends beyond a single jar of roasted peppers, covering both sweet and spicy additions to meals.
Familiar products, an uncertain next chapter
Mancini built a retail presence well beyond its Florida address. Its website lists Publix, ShopRite, Big Y and Walmart among its retailers, while the company’s history points to a following in New York City, Hoboken and Philadelphia.
For shoppers who recognize the name, the bankruptcy puts a century-old pantry brand at a turning point. The next chapter centers on the reported sale effort after the production halt, with the Chapter 11 case providing the setting for what happens to the business and its assets.
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