Jays Foods facts for kids
 |
|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Snack food |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Founder | Leonard Japp, Sr & William Ruwitch |
| Headquarters |
Chicago, Illinois
,
U.S.
|
|
Key people
|
Joe Shankland (president and CEO) Bill Luegers (CFO) |
| Products | See products section |
| Revenue | US $78.1 million |
| Parent | Snyder's of Hanover |
Jays Foods, Inc. is an American company that makes yummy snack foods. They are famous for their potato chips, popcorn, and pretzels. Jays Foods started way back in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. Today, it is part of a bigger company called Snyder's-Lance, Inc.. Snyder's-Lance, Inc. itself became part of The Campbell's Company in March 2018. Jays Foods sells its snacks in several states in the Midwestern U.S. Their potato chips and popcorn are very popular in these areas.
Contents
The Story of Jays Foods
Leonard Japp Sr. began his snack business in 1927. He started by selling pretzels from a truck. His business grew, and soon he added a special potato chip recipe. This recipe was made by his wife, Eugenia.
How the Name Changed
After a tough time for businesses in 1929, Mr. Japp found a new business partner. They started selling the chips under the name "Mrs. Japp’s Potato Chips." However, in 1941, after an event called the Attack on Pearl Harbor, some words that sounded like "Jap" became unpopular in the United States. To avoid any confusion, the company changed the name of the chips to "Jays Potato Chips." The company then became known as Jays Foods, Inc.
Changes in Ownership
Jays Foods was a family-owned company for many years. In 1986, it was sold to another company called Borden, Inc.. But the Japp Family bought the company back in 1994. Later, in 2004, a company from Chicago called Willis Stein & Partners bought Jays Foods. They put Jays Foods and another snack company under one parent company called Ubiquity Brands.
Facing Challenges and New Beginnings
In October 2007, Jays Foods faced financial difficulties and had to reorganize its business. They closed their Chicago factory in December 2007. On the same day, the remaining parts of Jays were bought by Snyder's-Lance, Inc.. Snyder's-Lance decided to keep making and selling Jays products in the Midwest. They also continued to use Jays' warehouse in Chicago and its factory in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Where Jays Foods Operates
Jays Foods makes, sells, and delivers its products in seven states. These states are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. Jays Foods has many distribution centers in big cities across these states. They have 310 delivery routes owned by the company and 200 routes owned by independent distributors. The company has a total of 943 employees.
How Popular Are Jays Snacks?
Jays Foods does not sell its products all over the country. Even with big competitors like Frito-Lay, Jays Foods is very popular in its main states. They have about 23 percent of the potato chip market in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, and Iowa. They are even more popular in the "ready-to-eat" popcorn category, with over 60 percent of the market share.
Jays Products
Here are some of the tasty snacks Jays Foods makes:
Jays (potato chips)
- Jays Crispy Ridged Potato Chips – Original; Ranch Herb; Onion & Garlic; Barbecue, Smoky BBQ, Cheddar & Sour Cream.
- Jays Potato Chips – Original; Barbecue; Cheese; Salt 'n Sour; Sour 'n Dill; Hot Stuff, Jay's bacon & cheddar
Krunchers! (kettle and corn chips)
- Krunchers! Potato Chips – Original; Reduced Fat; Cheddar & Sour Cream; Jalapeño; Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper; Mesquite Bar-B-Que; Hawaiian Sweet Onion; Hot Buffalo Wing; Kosher Dill
- Krunchers! Corn chips – Spicy Four Cheese; Guacamole; Jalapeño
O-Ke-Doke (popcorn)
- O-Ke-Doke Balls of Fire
- O-Ke-Doke Hot Cheese Flavored Popcorn
- O-Ke-Doke Cheese Popcorn
- O-Ke-Doke Chicago Mix Popcorn (Cheese and Caramel Corn)
- O-Ke-Doke White Cheddar Popcorn
Hot Stuff (other snacks)
- Hot Stuff Crunchy Cheezlets
See also
