Cape Cod Potato Chips
Encyclopedia
Cape Cod Potato Chips is a snack foods company most famously known for their brand of potato chips. The company is headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts
, on Cape Cod
. Since 1999, Cape Cod Potato Chips has been a subsidiary
of Lance Inc.
, a snack food manufacturer.
of Nauset Light with the company name in Caslon Antique
.
. With the idea of offering healthier foods made with little processing, Lynn had started a natural foods store in the 1970s. Steve Bernard pursued adding potato chips to the mix after tasting a natural potato chip from a successful company based in Hawaii. In 1980, he sold his auto parts business and established Cape Cod Potato Chips with an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) storefront in Hyannis, Massachusetts
that could reach tourists, an industrial potato slicer he had bought for $3,000 and almost no knowledge of the snack food business other than what he learned in a week-long course on potato chip making at Martin's Potato Chips
in Thomasville, Pennsylvania
.
Unlike typical commercial brands made using a continuous frying process, in which potato slices travel through a tub of oil on a conveyor belt, Cape Cod chips are cooked in batches in kettles, frying them in a shallow vat in oil while stirring with a rake, producing a crunchier chip. Snack Food Association president James A. McCarthy noted that Bernard "didn't invent the kettle chip, but he was involved in bringing it back to prominence."
The company struggled for months after it opened on July 4, 1980. The following winter a car crashed through the front window of the store, almost hitting Steve's daughter. An insurance payment and publicity from the accident helped tide the company over until the following summer, by which time business was booming, and the company's chips were being sold through a number of supermarket chains.
The company was acquired by Anheuser-Busch
in 1985, and operated as a division of its Eagle Snacks
unit. Sales of the chips were up to 80,000 bags a day by the end of the following year, reaching the entire East Coast
, with sales of $16 million annually. Bernard bought the company and its factory back from Anheuser-Busch in 1996. Snack food company Lance Inc.
bought the company from Bernard in 1999, by which time annual sales had reached $30 million.
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...
, on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. Since 1999, Cape Cod Potato Chips has been a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Lance Inc.
Lance Inc.
Lance, Inc. is an American snack food company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.They manufacture snacks such as:*Captain's Wafers*Toastchee Crackers*Nekot cookies*Gold-N-Chees crackers*Cape Cod Potato Chips*Tom's Potato Chips*Archway Cookies...
, a snack food manufacturer.
The Company
The company's logo is a woodcutWoodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
of Nauset Light with the company name in Caslon Antique
Caslon Antique
Caslon Antique is a decorative American typeface that was designed in 1894 by Berne Nadall. It was originally called "Fifteenth Century", but was renamed "Caslon Antique" by Nadall's foundry, Barnhart Bros. & Spindler, in the mid-1920s....
.
History
Cape Cod Potato Chips was founded in 1980 by Lynn and Steve BernardSteve Bernard
Steve Bernard was an adventurer and businessman who founded Cape Cod Potato Chips.-Biography:Born on August 25, 1947 in Concord, New Hampshire, Bernard attended the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a degree in economics...
. With the idea of offering healthier foods made with little processing, Lynn had started a natural foods store in the 1970s. Steve Bernard pursued adding potato chips to the mix after tasting a natural potato chip from a successful company based in Hawaii. In 1980, he sold his auto parts business and established Cape Cod Potato Chips with an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) storefront in Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...
that could reach tourists, an industrial potato slicer he had bought for $3,000 and almost no knowledge of the snack food business other than what he learned in a week-long course on potato chip making at Martin's Potato Chips
Martin's Potato chips
Martin's Potato Chips is a manufacturer of potato chips, popcorn, and other salted snack foods. Martin's headquarters is located in south-central Pennsylvania, at 5847 Lincoln Highway West in Thomasville; the company distributes to retailers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was founded by Harry and...
in Thomasville, Pennsylvania
Thomasville, Pennsylvania
Thomasville is an unincorporated community in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, west of the city of York. Its schools are part of the Spring Grove Area School District, and the town is home to Martin's Potato Chips. Thomasville is located in Jackson Township on the Lincoln Highway, U.S....
.
Unlike typical commercial brands made using a continuous frying process, in which potato slices travel through a tub of oil on a conveyor belt, Cape Cod chips are cooked in batches in kettles, frying them in a shallow vat in oil while stirring with a rake, producing a crunchier chip. Snack Food Association president James A. McCarthy noted that Bernard "didn't invent the kettle chip, but he was involved in bringing it back to prominence."
The company struggled for months after it opened on July 4, 1980. The following winter a car crashed through the front window of the store, almost hitting Steve's daughter. An insurance payment and publicity from the accident helped tide the company over until the following summer, by which time business was booming, and the company's chips were being sold through a number of supermarket chains.
The company was acquired by Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
in 1985, and operated as a division of its Eagle Snacks
Eagle snacks
Eagle snacks was the brand name for snack food originally marketed by the Anheuser-Busch company.-History:Anheuser-Busch marketed various snack foods, which typically were bite size pretzels, cheese snacks, etc. that were distributed to bars and airlines. The snacks were in various shapes,...
unit. Sales of the chips were up to 80,000 bags a day by the end of the following year, reaching the entire East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, with sales of $16 million annually. Bernard bought the company and its factory back from Anheuser-Busch in 1996. Snack food company Lance Inc.
Lance Inc.
Lance, Inc. is an American snack food company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.They manufacture snacks such as:*Captain's Wafers*Toastchee Crackers*Nekot cookies*Gold-N-Chees crackers*Cape Cod Potato Chips*Tom's Potato Chips*Archway Cookies...
bought the company from Bernard in 1999, by which time annual sales had reached $30 million.
Current Varieties
- Classic
- 40% Reduced Fat
- Sea Salt & Vinegar
- Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper
- Sweet Mesquite Barbecue
- Sweet & Spicy Jalapeño
- Cheddar Jack & Sour Cream
- Five Cheese
- Parmesan & Roasted Garlic
- Sour Cream & Green Onion
- Harvest Gold
Discontinued
- Beachside Barbecue
- Firecracker Barbecue
- Honey Dijon
- Buttermilk Ranch
- Jalapeño & Aged Cheddar
- Golden Russet
- Dark Russet
- Robust Russet
Other Snacks
- White Cheddar Popcorn
- Mild and Medium Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- Veggie
- White Corn
- Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
- Sweet and Salty Popcorn
- Sweet Cream Butter Popcorn