The Irish Company Behind The Invention Of Flavored Potato Chips

It's hard to imagine life without potato chips, the classic savory snack that seems like it's been around forever. While we don't know exactly who first made the iconic food, and a city in New York may have invented potato chips in the 1800s, we do know that the concept of flavored potato chips has been credited to Tayto, a company based in Ireland. For what started as a small business, Tayto's impact on the world of snacks has been mighty. Founder Joe "Spud" Murphy recognized an opportunity when, in the 1950s, potato chips had to be sent to Ireland from abroad. The imported snack bags were disappointing and devoid of flavor, and snackers relegated themselves to seasoning chips with small packets of salt that were included inside each bag.

No stranger to the business of innovation — he also brought ballpoint pens to Ireland — an inspired Murphy opened his own chip-making factory in 1954. He then asked his employees to start coming up with new ways to give consumers a tastier chip. Seamus Burke answered the call, experimenting with and settling on the Cheese and Onion flavor that continues to be placed on store shelves today. In fact, Tayto's chips are so beloved throughout Ireland that, in surveys, Irish people have claimed to miss this food the most when traveling away from home.

Tayto's original Cheese and Onion flavored chips were originally packaged by hand in waxed paper, and to further preserve the freshness of its products, Tayto sent bags of its chips to retailers in airtight tins. Popularity of the chips then grew, along with business operations. The now iconic salt and vinegar flavored chips came after the success of the Cheese and Onion flavor, followed by Smoky Bacon. Meanwhile, other countries took Tayto's idea of flavoring potato chips and ran with it, though the preferred seasonings varied. Across the pond in America, chips were typically flavored with Sour Cream and Onion and Barbecue. And in India, mint-flavored snacks are the most popular.

The Tayto brand, named after Joe Murphy's child's pronunciation of "potato," still exists, with a decades-long history that has included expansion, an acquisition of the brand, and the opening of Tayto Park, Ireland's only theme park. In addition to the original flavored chips, Tayto also sells lentil chips, microwavable popcorn, and an assortment of other crunchy packaged snacks, while solidly laying claim to setting the foundation for the idea that led to many British flavored potato chips to follow, as well as the Canadian All Dressed chip that packs a smorgasbord of flavors — barbecue, sour cream, onion, salt and vinegar, and ketchup — into one bag.