Herr Foods Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustrySnack foods
Founded1946
FounderJim Herr
Headquarters
Nottingham, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Area served
Eastern United States and Eastern Canada
Key people
Ed Herr, president & CEO
J. M. Herr, executive chairman[1]
Websitewww.herrs.com

Herr's is an American brand of potato chips and other snack foods produced and marketed by eponymous private American company Herr Foods Inc. based in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. While their products are sold primarily throughout the Eastern United States and Canada, their stronghold is the Mid-Atlantic region.[2] Herr's products are sold in all 50 American states and in over 40 countries.[3]

History

In 1946, Jim Herr, then 21 years old, purchased a small potato chip company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[4][5] Initial sales averaged approximately thirty dollars a week ($450 today, adjusted for inflation).[6]

In 1958, the company introduced flavored potato chips, and in 1974, switched to foil packaging from the traditional glassine bags. The 1970s and 1980s saw a growth in the snack food industry which prompted an expansion in the variety of products being manufactured, including corn chips, tortilla chips, and pretzels. The 1980s also saw the addition of the Herr Angus Farm, a cattle farm which made use of potato waste products.

Jim Herr began transferring control of the company to his sons, Ed Herr and J. M. Herr, in the 1990s, with Ed taking over as company spokesman. Jim Herr retired as company chair in favor of J. M. Herr in January 2005, but remained on the board of directors until his death. Jim Herr died on April 5, 2012, at the age of 87. Ed Herr and J. M. Herr assumed the roles of president and executive chairman respectively.[1]

Products

Herr's produces a wide variety of snack foods, including potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, cheese curls, popcorn, and onion rings. They produce, as of July 2016, 37 different potato chip varieties, with an emphasis on strong and spicy flavors.[7] Among their offerings are Ragin Ranch, Buffalo Blue Cheese, Old Bay, Horseradish, Baby Back Ribs, Kansas City Steak, Hot Sauce, Jalapeño, in addition to more traditional varieties such as Barbecue, Kettle Cooked, Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar & Sour Cream, Salt & Pepper, Ketchup, Habanero and Creamy Ranch, and Salt & Vinegar.

In January 2016, Herr's released a picture on social media previewing a new Crab Fries flavored potato chips in partnership with Chickie's & Pete's, a sports bar also headquartered in the Philadelphia region. Herr's planned to release the chips to stores a couple of months after the announcement, however the chips were instead released one month later in February due to popular demand.[8] Herr's has also released a BBQ chips line in partnership with Stubbs BBQ sauce.

Herr's potato chips are sold in distinctive foil packaging.

A subplot of an episode of The Office features Jim Halpert and Karen Filippelli spending the workday searching for a package of Herr's salt and vinegar chips. In a DVD exclusive for season 3, Kevin Malone makes a quesadilla out of Herr's Sour Cream & Onion chips and spray cheese.

Visitors' center

Visitors' center

The Herr's Visitors' Center was constructed in 1989 and is adjacent to the plant in Nottingham, Pennsylvania.[9] Tour guides lead visitors through both the visitors' center and the actual plant. The tours last approximately one hour.

References

  1. 1 2 About Us
  2. ↑ Beakes, Jason S. "The Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Herr's Potato Chips". Pabook.libraries.psu.edu. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  3. ↑ "Herr's Distribution". Herrs.com. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  4. ↑ Hometown: Herr's Potato Chips CBS3.com Archived November 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Herr's History". Herrs.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  6. ↑ Barber, Chris (2012-04-06). "Jim Herr, founder of Herr Foods, dead at age 88". Main Line Media News. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  7. ↑ Herr's Products Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Arthur Etchells, "Herr’s Chickie’s & Pete’s Crabfries Chips Are Now Available", phillymag.com, February 17, 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  9. ↑ Silverman, Sharon Hernes (2001-04-01). Pennsylvania Snacks. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-5242-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
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