The original, all-metal squeezo strainer was designed by a young die maker from the Abruzzo region of Italy. When he came to America in 1907, he brought his design with him. After years of trying to find a manufacturer willing to take on the project, he finally built a plant in his backyard and, using an old belt-driven steam engine, began to manufacture and sell the first squeezo strainers with the help of his wife and 3 children.

That was 1919. Slowly but surely, the squeezo strainer became a favorite in Italian-American kitchens for making wonderful old-country tomato sauces and purees. Others heard about it, and started using it for home canning.

The same family – two entire generations – made the squeezo strainer nearly 60 years, constantly upgrading production and quality control as more and more squeezo strainers found their way into kitchens across the country. There are still plenty of 30 year old squeezo strainers out here hard at work! But in 1978 misfortune struck; the factory in McKeesport, Pennsylvania was destroyed by fire. For various reasons the family was unable to rebuild the factory – they had to sell the business. Garden Way, located in Troy, NY, was a natural choice as a buyer as they had already been selling squeezo strainers successfully for several years. Garden Way built the squeezo strainer until it closed its doors in the 1990s, at which time Lemra Products took over manufacturing the squeezo strainer.

Squeezo strainer was acquired by an Italian-American family man and entrepreneur with the company's rich history in mind, and the goal of keeping the Italian tradition alive in America. Today squeezo strainers are proudly still creating delicious homemade food and more importantly creating family memories that will last generations to come all across the country.