Real Crisps facts for kids

Real Crisps is a popular brand of potato chips, also known as crisps. The company started making these tasty snacks in 1997. Over the next ten years, it grew a lot, becoming a business that made £15 million a year. In 2007, another crisp maker from Northern Ireland called Tayto bought Real Crisps. Sadly, in 2012, a fire destroyed the large Real Crisps factory in Crumlin, Caerphilly. Real Crisps makes many different flavours, and they even had special limited-edition packets for a political event in 2010.

How Real Crisps Started and Grew

Real Crisps began in 1997. The goal was to make special hand-cooked crisps for small shops and pubs. In 1999, after getting some money to help them grow, the company changed its official name to Sirhowy Valley Foods. However, they kept "Real Crisps" as the name for their main product.

In August 2005, Real Crisps moved to a brand new factory in Crumlin, Caerphilly. This new factory was very big, about 65,000 square feet (6,000 m²). It helped them make 50 percent more crisps than before. With 90 people working there, they could produce 37,000 cases of crisps every week! They moved because they were making so many crisps that their old place in Cwmfelinfach couldn't keep up. At that time, Real Crisps was the second biggest company in the UK for hand-cooked crisps, right after Kettle Foods. Their sales had grown a lot, from £1.3 million in 2001/2 to £5.3 million in 2003/4.

Real Crisps Joins Tayto

In 2007, Tayto, a crisp company from Northern Ireland, bought Sirhowy Valley Foods (the company that makes Real Crisps). Real Crisps had made deals to sell their crisps in big British supermarkets like Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury's. This helped the company's yearly sales reach £15 million. After buying Real Crisps, and also Golden Wonder before that, Tayto became the third biggest crisp maker in the UK. In the same year, Real Crisps also started selling their crisps in France.

Factory Fire in 2012

In September 2012, a big fire happened at the Real Crisps factory building in Crumlin. The fire caused a lot of damage, making the factory unusable. About 20 staff members who were inside were safely evacuated. Many firefighters worked hard to put out the blaze. Because of the fire, around 80 jobs were lost.

Real Crisps Flavours and Fun

Real Crisps offers many tasty flavours. Some of the regular ones are Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Strong Cheese & Onion, and Roast Ox. They used to have Jalapeño Pepper, but now they have Chicken Peri Peri instead.

The crisp packets are special! They are made from a frosted, greaseproof material. You might also find jokes printed on the bags, like "We don't cut corners. If you find a corner in your packet, let us know." Each flavour also has a different fun character on the bag. For example, the Strong Cheese and Spring Onion flavour has a rugby player on it.

Crisps and Politics

Before the 2010 United Kingdom general election, Real Crisps made special limited-edition Sea Salted crisps. These packets came in the colours of the main political parties: the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats. The idea was that people would buy the colour of the party they supported. This would give an idea of how many people liked each party. However, some people who supported the Plaid Cymru party were upset because their party was not represented on the crisp packets.