German pizza giant Freiberger Group is to make a second attempt at launching a frozen pizza brand in the UK.
Ernie’s Pizza has initially launched with a quartet of stone-baked sourdough pizzas, exclusive to Asda.
Margherita and Pepperoni have rolled out in 375 stores, while BBQ Chicken and Meat Feast will join the range next week (rsp: £3.74/from 348g).
Ernie’s Pizza takes its name from Freiberger founder Ernst Freiberger, who opened a small pizzeria in Berlin in 1975.
Since then, the business has grown into a major European manufacturer of frozen pizzas, snacks and pasta products, producing food for supermarket own-brand ranges across Europe.
Ernie’s Pizza is the second frozen pizza brand Freiberger has launched in the UK in just over a year.
In September 2025, the group debuted its first UK brand Craft Pizza, which landed exclusively in Tesco.
However, the group had recently ceased production of Craft Pizza after the range was delisted by the retailer last month, it told The Grocer.
Commenting on the Ernie’s Pizza launch, James Nice, sales director at Freiberger UK, said: “We know that pizza is about more than what’s for dinner – it’s about bringing people together for a quick midweek meal or a relaxed evening with family and friends.
“With Ernie’s Pizza, we’ve taken more than 50 years of expertise and a straightforward approach to flavour and quality to create a product that inspires great moments around the table.”
The launch comes amid a challenging period for Freiberger’s owner Stateside Foods, which saw pre-tax profits fall by more than a third to £6.8m last year, after it was forced to absorb soaring energy costs.
Stateside is one of the largest chilled pizza manufacturers in the UK, primarily selling own-label pizza to the major supermarkets.
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