The Popular Pizza Chain That Once Ran Its Own Mushroom Farm

As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." This is especially true for major food brands that have tried to keep costs down. While sauce, cheese, and dough are among the most important components for preparing pizzas, one popular pizza chain decided to take things a step further by farming its own fungi. In 1971, the owners of Little Caesars purchased a mushroom farm to maintain the pricing and quality of the specific pizza topping.

Prior to 1971, the pizza chain's mushrooms arrived in cans and came all the way from China. Wanting to give customers a taste of fresh produce, Little Caesars' founders, Marian and Mike Ilitch, determined the best course of action was to start a farm. This spirit of ingenuity and drive toward customer satisfaction is one of the reasons Little Caesars is among the pizza chains that offer the best value in 2026.

What began as Little Caesars Mushroom Farms, Inc. evolved into a company now called Blue Line Foodservice Distribution. An in-house full-service distributor, Blue Line serves as Little Caesars' main supplier, allowing the popular pizza chain to improve its control over all of the components needed to run its restaurants. This includes food ingredients as well as restaurant equipment.

As one of two iconic Michigan-born pizza chains, Little Caesars is well-known in the realm of fast food for its value pricing and carryout specials. From its humble beginnings, you can see how this chain has grown and thrived by simply looking at the trajectory of Blue Line Foodservice Distribution. After purchasing Little Caesars Mushroom Farms, it quickly grew beyond mere morels.

It was at some point between establishing the farm in the early 1970s and expanding into international territory in the 1990s that Little Caesars Mushroom Farms was renamed Blue Line Foodservice Distribution. With locations in both the U.S. and Canada, what started as a way to keep costs down when preparing mushroom pizzas for Little Caesars is now a major player under the umbrella of Illitch Companies, so named after the pizza chain's founders.

Although its Classic Mushroom pizza ranked on the lower end of Tasting Table's assessment of Little Caesars Pizzas, the innovation and history behind these mushrooms cannot be overstated. This pizza chain remains a consistent favorite for foodies seeking good deals on their favorite pies.