Utz Brands facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NYSE: UTZ |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Founders | William Utz Salie Utz |
| Headquarters | Hanover, Pennsylvania |
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Key people
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Dylan Lissette (Chairman) Howard Friedman (CEO) |
| Products | Snack foods |
| Revenue |  US$1.181 billion (2021) |
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Operating income
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US$2.5 million (2021) |
| US$16.2 million (2020) |
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| Total assets | US$10.56 million (2020) |
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Number of employees
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2,000 (2021) |
Utz Brands, Inc., often just called Utz, is a company in Hanover, Pennsylvania, that makes yummy snacks. They are famous for their potato chips, pretzels, and many other tasty treats. You can find Utz snacks in regular stores and also in big warehouse clubs.
Contents
The Story of Utz Snacks
How Utz Started
The Utz company began way back in 1921. A couple named William and Salie Utz started making potato chips right from their home in Hanover, Pennsylvania. They called their first chips "Hanover Home Brand Potato Chips."
They started with just $300. Back then, they used simple hand-operated tools. These tools could make about 50 pounds of chips every hour. Salie cooked the chips, and Bill delivered them to local grocery stores. He also sold them at farmers' markets in Hanover and Baltimore, Maryland.
Later, the couple moved their chip-making into a concrete building in their backyard. In 1938, they bought a new machine. This automatic fryer could make 300 pounds of chips in an hour! That was a big jump in how many snacks they could make.
Growing Bigger After the War
In 1938, Francis Xavier Rice joined the company. He married Arlene Utz, who was William and Salie's daughter. After World War II, the company did very well. This success allowed them to build a new factory in Hanover in 1949.
William and Salie Utz passed away in the mid-1960s. After they were gone, Francis Rice became the president of the company.
During the 1970s, Utz bought two more factories in Hanover. Francis Rice retired in 1978. His son, Michael, then became the company president. Arlene Utz Rice stayed on as the chairman of the board. Utz built its largest factory and main office building in 1983.
Utz Today
In the late 1980s, sales of Utz pretzels grew very fast. By 1991, pretzels made up almost 10 percent of all their sales. By the mid-1990s, Utz was selling over $100 million worth of snacks each year. At that time, about one thousand people worked for the company.
In 2011, Utz Brands bought Zappe Endeavors. This company made popular chips like Zapp's and Dirty's. This purchase included factories in Louisiana, California, and Pennsylvania. This helped Utz become a snack maker that sold products all across the country.
Utz continued to grow by buying other snack companies. In 2011, they bought Wachusett Potato Chip Company. In 2012, they acquired The Bachman Company. Michael Rice was the chairman, and his son-in-law, Dylan Lissette, was the CEO. This meant Utz was still a family-run business.
In 2016, Utz bought Golden Flake, another snack company. In 2017, they acquired Inventure Foods, which made brands like Boulder Canyon Foods. In 2019, Utz bought Snyder of Berlin.
In August 2020, Utz became a company whose shares could be bought and sold by the public. This means anyone can buy a small piece of the company. Utz kept buying more companies, like Truco Enterprises in 2020 and Vitner's in 2021. They also bought Fastida Foods and R.W. Garcia in 2021.
In 2022, Utz bought two distribution companies, Clem Snacks and J&D Snacks. They also bought a factory from Evans Foods Group. However, in 2023, Utz announced that the Golden Flakes factory in Birmingham, Alabama, would close.
Sports Sponsorships
Utz loves sports! They have sponsored many sports teams over the years.
- Until 2012, Utz was a sponsor of the New York Yankees baseball team. Their name was even seen in Yankee Stadium.
- They also sponsored the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.
- Currently, Utz sponsors the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball teams.
- Utz has also sponsored the Philadelphia Eagles football team for many seasons.
- Since 2014, Utz has been the official snack provider for the Baltimore Ravens football team.
- They also sponsor minor league baseball teams like the Connecticut Tigers and Erie SeaWolves.
In 2018, Utz made a big deal with Major League Baseball. This made them the "official salty snack" of the entire league. The next year, Utz was the main sponsor for the 2019 National League Division Series in baseball.
What Snacks Does Utz Make?
Utz makes a huge variety of snacks! Every week, they produce millions of pounds of potato chips and pretzels.
- They make many kinds of potato chips and pretzels.
- They also produce cheese curls, sunflower chips, tortilla chips, popcorn, pork rinds, and party mixes.
- For special treats, they have chocolate-covered pretzels and seasonal pretzel barrels.
- Utz also sells dips, salsas, and crackers.
In total, Utz makes 395 different types and flavors of snacks!
Utz cooks its regular potato chips in cottonseed oil. Their Kettle Classic chips are cooked in peanut oil. Some special Grandma Utz chips are cooked in lard. Utz also has an organic line of products. These are certified organic by Quality Assurance International. They also have a "natural" product line, which includes potato chips cooked in sunflower oil. Utz puts a "Snacking Smart" icon on some products. This helps you know which snacks are healthier choices.
Ordering Utz Snacks Online
In the mid-1980s, Utz started a catalog service. This allowed people to order Utz snacks by phone and have them delivered to their homes. In 1998, Utz made it even easier. They added online ordering to their website, utzsnacks.com.
The Little Utz Girl Mascot
The official mascot for Utz Brands is called the Little Utz Girl. She is also known as the Utz Girl. She has been on Utz snack packages and in the company logo since the 1920s.
In the early days, she looked like a real young girl. She had dark hair with a bow, a bob haircut, and blushing cheeks. She was shown reaching into a bag of potato chips.
In the 1970s, her cartoon look was updated. The letter "U" in the Utz logo became the potato chip bag she was reaching into. Designers also changed the colors of the logo. The colors would match the flavor of the chips or the type of snack. For example, the Utz Girl's hair would be one color, and her bow, blush, and shirt would be another.
See also
- List of food companies
