Salem, OR—At the end of July 2012, natural and organic potato chip manufacturer Kettle Brand will have crunched its way to 30 years in business. “Kettle Brand started out in the natural products channel and we plan to honor the brand’s heritage in that channel by offering two of our four limited-edition flavors as exclusive products for natural food retailers. Our loyal customers in the natural channel have been with us since the beginning and know that they can find us there,” says brand manager Marc McCullagh.
Since its humble beginnings in 1982 when the first bags of chips were sold, the company has added dozens of new flavors while maintaining a commitment to natural ingredients. “We use only the finest real potatoes and delicious blends of all-natural seasonings—real cheddar cheese, real chilies and peppers, real limes and other natural ingredients—to create bold flavors consumers love,” McCullagh says. The company has also added its Baked, Krinkle Cut and 40 Percent Reduced Fat lines to the original offerings of kettle-cooked chips in recent years, as well as the launch of a flavored tortilla chip line called “TIAS!” in 2010. Some of the company’s products make use of organic potatoes, and all products are said to be genetically modified organism (GMO)-free. The company also displays a commitment to sustainability through its use of green packaging, facilities and energy sources like solar and wind power.
McCullagh says there are plans in place to celebrate with Chip Chat e-newsletter subscribers, social media fans and followers, and the company’s consumers and retail partners beginning this summer and continuing through next year. To commemorate the milestone, the company is also bringing back fan favorites Red Chili, Jalapeño Jack, Salsa with Mesquite and Cheddar Beer for a limited-edition run. For the company’s next new flavor, McCullagh says, “We’ve looked at trends and considered fusion flavors, Mediterranean and Asian, along with more regional and broad flavors such as Chinese and Mexican.”
Published in WholeFoods Magazine, July 2012
