Golden Wonder facts for kids
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| Snack manufacturer | |
| Industry | Snack Products |
| Founded | 1947, in Stoneyburn, near Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Founder | William Alexander |
| Headquarters | North Lincolnshire, England |
| Products | Golden Wonder, Transform-A-Snack, Ringos |
| Owner | Tayto |
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Number of employees
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 800 (2012) |
Golden Wonder is a well-known British company that makes yummy snacks, especially crisps. Some of their popular snacks include Ringos, Golden Wonder crisps, and Transform-A-Snack. Since 2006, Golden Wonder has been part of a company from Northern Ireland called Tayto.
Golden Wonder started way back in 1947. By the 1960s, it was the biggest crisp brand in Britain! Later, another brand called Walkers became more popular and is now the top crisp brand in the UK.
History of Golden Wonder
Golden Wonder was started in 1947 by a man named William Alexander. He owned a bakery in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. He began making crisps to use his deep-fat fryers when they weren't busy making doughnuts.
The company was named after the Golden Wonder potato. William Alexander thought this type of potato was the very best for making tasty crisps.
In 1952, the company moved to a special factory built just for them in Sighthill. A bigger company called Imperial Tobacco bought Golden Wonder in 1961. By the early 1960s, Golden Wonder was making crisps in three more places: Broxburn, Widnes, and Corby. A factory in Crumlin even made "Pot Noodle."
In 1987, Golden Wonder was bought by a UK company called Dalgety plc. This happened when Imperial Tobacco was being split up by its new owner, Hanson plc. Sadly, a fire at the Corby factory in 1989 destroyed many old company papers and photos.
In 1992, Dalgety plc also bought Sooner Snacks. This company made popular snacks like Nik Naks and Wheat Crunchies. Sooner Snacks then became part of Golden Wonder.
In 1995, the managers of Golden Wonder bought the company themselves for about £54.6 million. Then, in 2000, another company called Bridgepoint Capital bought it for £156 million. Finally, in January 2006, Golden Wonder was bought by Tayto, a company from Tandragee, County Armagh.
Golden Wonder used to own famous brands like "Wotsits" and "Pot Noodle." However, the "Pot Noodle" brand was sold to Unilever. After Tayto bought Golden Wonder in 2006, the Nik Naks and Wheat Crunchies brands were sold to United Biscuits.
In 2022, Golden Wonder celebrated its 75th birthday! It is one of the oldest crisp brands in Scotland.
Golden Wonder Products
Golden Wonder was one of the first companies to launch the cheese & onion crisp flavour in 1962. The idea for flavoured crisps first came from Tayto in Ireland in 1953.
In the 1970s, Golden Wonder made a fun line of shell-shaped crisps called Rock 'n' Roller Crisps. They came in salt & vinegar, cheese & onion, and crispy bacon flavours. Golden Wonder stopped making them in the 1980s.
In the 1980s, Golden Wonder claimed on TV that they made Britain's Noisiest Crisp. In the 1990s, their TV adverts showed adults acting like kids. The famous slogan from these ads was: You'll never grow old in Golden Wonderland!
In 2009, another company, Symingtons Ltd, started using the Golden Wonder brand. They made instant noodles like "The Nation's Noodle and The Nation's Pasta." These were similar to the "Pot Noodle" range that Golden Wonder used to make. Now, Golden Wonder branding is also on snacks that used to be made by Red Mill, another snack company that Tayto took over.
Golden Wonder now makes many different flavours of potato crisps. They also own the XL Crisp brand. Golden Wonder used to own the Wotsits brand, but it was sold to Walkers in 2002. Other snacks like Wheat Crunchies, Chips & Burgers, and the corn-based Nik Naks are now owned by KP.
Company Challenges
On January 9, 2006, Golden Wonder faced serious financial trouble. This put about 800 jobs at risk. On January 13, 2006, it was announced that the factory in Corby, Northamptonshire, and a contract for Mini Pringles would be taken over by the Northern Irish crisp maker Tayto.
This news meant that 195 out of 350 jobs at that site would be saved at first. On January 20, 2006, Tayto announced that it would buy all of Golden Wonder's operations in the United Kingdom. This included the factory in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. However, Tayto decided to sell the Wheat Crunchies and Nik Naks brands to United Biscuits.
