Old Dutch Foods

Old Dutch Foods, Inc.
Private company
Industry Snack food
Founded 1934
Headquarters Roseville, Minnesota
Key people
 Steven C. Aanenson[1]
President and CEO
Products See products section
Revenue US $433 Million (2008)[1]
Number of employees
 1000[1]
Website Old Dutch Foods

Old Dutch Foods is a manufacturer of potato chips and other snack foods in the Midwestern United States and Canada. Their product line includes brands such as Old Dutch Potato Chips, Dutch Crunch, Ripples, Cheese Pleesers and Restaurante Style Tortilla Chips.

History

Old Dutch headquarters, Roseville

The company began as Old Dutch Products Co. in 1934. They originated in St. Paul, Minnesota, but moved to Minneapolis in 1937. In 1968, they moved again, this time to Roseville, Minnesota, where they remain today.

Old Dutch opened a plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1954 to manufacture chips for the Canadian market. The head office for Canadian operations remains in Winnipeg.

Today, their American arm is officially called Old Dutch Foods, Inc., and their Canadian arm is Old Dutch Foods, Ltd. They celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2004 with a line of television commercials.

Old Dutch Foods acquired Humpty Dumpty Snack Foods in a C$26.7 million takeover bid in 2006.[2]

Products

The Old Dutch brand is mainly known for the many flavors of potato chips they produce. They come in bags and "twin packs"; cardboard boxes with two packages of chips inside.

Old Dutch Potato Chips advertising included a memorable 1989 commercial, featured features a cartoon potato farmer dancing and singing with his live potatoes on the plantation. The trademark Old Dutch windmill can also be seen in the background. Other ads from the time period featured the signature windmill in cartoon or computer animated form, a relatively uncommon practice for its time.

Potato chip flavors available in the United States include the flagship Regular flavor, as well as Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar & Sour Cream, Dill Pickle, Bar-B-Q, and Onion & Garlic. In addition, Ripples Chips are available in Original, French, Mesquite Bar-B-Q, and Loaded Spud varieties. On February 4, 2008, Mexican Chili and Au Gratin were reintroduced back to Canada. Other products include Dutch Crunch kettle-cooked chips, cheese puffs, Puffcorn (puffed corn twists), Restaurante Style tortilla chips, pretzels, dips and salsas, and beef jerky.

Many of the same products are available in Canada.

In Canada there is a line of appetizer flavored thick cut ruffle potato chip that goes by the brand "Double Dutch"(U.S. " Ridgies"). Some flavors include Blooming Onion, Buffalo Wing with Blue Cheese, Smoked Meat and Mustard Hoagie, Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders and Calamari and Tzatziki.

In 2005, thee firm introduced Old Dutch beef jerky.

Manufacturing locations

Canada

There are also 11 distribution centers across Western Canada.

US

In popular culture

On the July 21, 2009 episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Host Jimmy Fallon and guests Will Arnett and Emmanuelle Chriqui (who are both Canadian) all ate a basket of Canadian snack foods, one of them being Ketchup flavoured Old Dutch Chips. Old Dutch products were also featured in the Canadian comedy Corner Gas. In the Coen Brothers' Fargo, they make a cameo on Marge Olmstead Gunderson and Norman Gunderson's bed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoovers: Old Dutch (Retrieved December 4, 2007)
  2. ↑ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (March 21, 2006). "Humpty Dumpty agrees to takeover bid from Old Dutch". CBC News. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  3. ↑ http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Lachine+Dutch+snack+plant+close/8351869/story.html>

External links

Coordinates: 45°0′53″N 93°12′2″W / 45.01472°N 93.20056°W / 45.01472; -93.20056

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