Tom's Snacks facts for kids
Tom's Snacks Co. is a well-known American snack food brand. It is currently owned by San Antonio Snacks. The company, first called "Tom's Foods Company," was started by Tom Huston in Columbus, Georgia, in 1925. Tom's Foods made and sold snacks until 2005. That year, the company faced financial problems. The brand was then bought by Snyder's-Lance, Inc.
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Formerly
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| Private (1925–66) Subsidiary (1966–2005) |
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| Industry | Food |
| Fate | Acquired by General Mills in 1966, declared bankruptcy in 2005 |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Founder | Tom Huston |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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David Singer CEO |
| Products | Snack food |
| Parent |
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Contents
The Story of Tom's Snacks
This section tells the interesting history of Tom's Snacks. It covers how the company started and how it grew over many years.
How It All Began
In 1925, a man named Tom Huston started his own company. He called it "Tom's Roasted Peanuts." He began selling bags of peanuts for just five cents each. People really loved his peanuts! Within two years, Tom's peanuts were sold all over the country. The company made a lot of money, about $4 million in sales. However, Tom Huston later lost the company due to financial difficulties.
Changing Hands Over the Years
In 1932, a person named Walter Richards bought Tom's from the bank. He made the company public, which means anyone could buy parts of the company. By the 1950s, Tom's was doing very well. Its sales reached $16 million.
In 1966, a big company called General Mills bought Tom's. They paid $75 million for it. General Mills then changed the company's name to "Tom's Foods." During the 1970s, General Mills tried to sell Tom's chips in more stores. They also started a new service for office snacks.
By 1983, Tom's was sold again. A company called Rowntree Mackintosh bought it for $215 million. They started a program for their distributors, who are the people who deliver the snacks. But sales were not as good as hoped.
So, in 1988, the company was sold once more. A group called TF Acquisition Corporation took over. They paid $200 million. Under this new ownership, Tom's opened new chip factories. These were in Columbus, Georgia, and Tennessee. This helped them reach more customers.
Tom's Foods hoped to make over $400 million in sales in the next five years. But they did not reach this goal. In 1993, Heico Acquisitions took over the company. Over the next few years, sales dropped to $200 million. Because of these problems, Tom's Foods had to declare bankruptcy. This means they could no longer pay their debts.
Tom's Snacks Today
In 2005, Lance Inc. won the chance to buy Tom's Foods. They paid $37.9 million. They also took on some of the company's debts. Lance Inc. then renamed the company "Tom's Snacks Co."
As of 2016, Tom's products are sold all over the country. They are distributed by Snyder's-Lance. Tom's Snacks was one of the first snack companies to put pictures of wrestlers on their potato chip bags. Some of the wrestlers featured included Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson, Velvet Sky, "The Pope" D'angelo Dinero, and A.J. Styles.
What Snacks Does Tom's Make?
Tom's makes many different kinds of snacks. Their products include tasty potato chips, crunchy corn chips, crispy fries, and delicious tortilla chips. They also make pork skins.
In addition, the popular snack Bugles are also made under the Tom's brand name.
