Barzi was initially a small specialty food manufacturer called Barzi Foods. Barzi Foods began as a small retail store in downtown Memphis that was founded by two brothers, Frank and Eugene Barizizza. The initial store was called Barizizza Brothers, and it was renowned throughout the 1920s. Barizizza Brothers began to sell Italian foods under the Barzi name.

The business grew and was passed on to Frank’s sons. In the 1970s, the retail store was closed, and the wholesale business merged with a larger company. Barzi continued as a distributor to high-end grocery stores. In 2005, Ingredients Corporation of America, a Memphis company, bought Barzi and continued to offer many of the products that have become favorites.