Jays Foods, Inc., is an American manufacturer of snack products including

potato chip A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...

s, popcorn and pretzels. Jays Foods was founded in 1927 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and is currently a subsidiary of Snyder's of Hanover.Potato Pro: Snyder's of Hanover officially acquires Jays Foods
(Retrieved June 19, 2008) Operating in several Midwestern states, Jays Foods' potato chips and popcorn maintain significant shares of their respective markets.

History

Leonard Japp, Sr. began selling pretzels from a

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

in 1927. The business grew to feature a potato chip recipe made by Japp’s wife, Eugenia. After the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

, Japp found a new business partner and began selling the chips under the brand name "Mrs. Japp’s Potato Chips". The 1941

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

and the subsequent

anti-Japanese sentiment Anti-Japanese sentiment (also called Japanophobia, Nipponophobia and anti-Japanism) involves the hatred or fear of anything which is Japanese, be it its culture or its people. Its opposite is Japanophilia. Overview Anti-Japanese senti ...

, however, led to a negative connotation towards the word " Jap" in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The chips were consequently

rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...

to "Jays Potato Chips" to avoid the sound-alike name, and the company became Jays Foods, Inc. Jays Foods remained a family-owned company until 1986, when the company was sold to

Borden, Inc. Borden, Inc., was an American producer of food and beverage products, consumer products, and industrial products. At one time, the company was the largest U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products. Its food division, Borden Foods, was based in ...

Jays Foods: Employment
(Retrieved November 28, 2007) In 1994, Jays Foods was re-acquired by the Japp Family. In 2004, Jays Foods was purchased by

Willis Stein & Partners Willis Stein & Partners is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions for middle-market companies. The firm's most notable investments have included Ziff Davis, Roundy's, Jays Foods, Lincoln Snacks Company and Petersen Pub ...

, a Chicago private-equity firm, and, together with another snack company acquired by

Lincoln Snacks Company The Lincoln Snacks Company (or Lincoln Snacks) was a manufacturer of caramelized popcorn and popcorn/nut mixes. Lincoln Snacks’ products are produced in Lincoln, Nebraska and sold nationally under the Poppycock, Fiddle Faddle and Screaming Y ...

, assigned a parent company, Ubiquity Brands. Jays Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 11, 2007, the second time in four years,RovitoYue and permanently closed its Chicago manufacturing plant on December 5, 2007. On December 5, 2007 the remaining assets of Jay's were acquired by Snyder's-Lance, Inc. who have said they will continue to manufacture and distribute Jays products throughout the Midwest. Snyder's-Lance will continue to operate Jays Chicago warehouse and distribution center and its Jeffersonville, Indiana manufacturing facility.

Operations

Jays Foods manufactures, markets and distributes its products in the seven state area of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. Jays Foods has distribution centers in fifteen major cities in the seven state marketing area. Jays has 310 company-owned routes, and 200 routes owned by independent distributors. The company has a total of 943 employees.

Market share

Jays Foods does not market its products nationally. Despite competition from national brands such as

Frito-Lay Frito-Lay is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-fla ...

, which has a 67 percent market share,Answers.com: Potato chips, corn chips, and similar snacks
(Retrieved November 28, 2007) Jays Foods has 23 percent share of the potato chip market in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota and Iowa and over 60 percent market share in the "ready-to-eat" popcorn category. Jays foods has been considering the possibility of competing as a national brand and has conducted marketing research and held focus groups in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Products

Jays (potato chips) * Jays Crispy Ridged Potato Chips – Original;

Ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

Herb;

Onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...

& Garlic; Barbecue, Cheddar & Sour Cream. * Jays E-Z Dippin's (discontinued) – Mini Pretzels &

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

;

Tortilla Chips A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into triangles and then fried or baked (alternatively they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked). Corn tortillas are made of nixtamalized corn, veget ...

Nacho Nachos are a Mexican culinary dish consisting of fried tortilla chips or ''totopos'' covered with melted cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken ...

Cheese Dip; Tortilla Chips &

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

* Jays Potato Chips – Original; Barbecue; Cheese;

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

Sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

; Sour 'n

Dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus ''Anethum''. Dill is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food. Growth ...

; Hot Stuff, Jay's bacon & cheddar Krunchers! (kettle and corn chips) * Krunchers! Potato Chips – Original; Reduced Fat; Cheddar & Sour Cream;

Jalapeño The jalapeño ( , , ) is a medium-sized chili pepper pod type cultivar of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. A mature jalapeño chili is long and hangs down with a round, firm, smooth flesh of wide. It can have a range of pungency, with Scovi ...

; Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper; Mesquite Bar-B-Que; Hawaiian Sweet Onion; Hot Buffalo Wing; Kosher Dill * Krunchers! Sweet Baby Jays (discontinued) – Chips made from sweet potatoes; introduced summer 2006 * 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

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Official website
(archived, 20 Apr 2014) {{Snyder's-Lance Brand name potato chips and crisps Brand name snack foods Food and drink companies based in Chicago Manufacturing companies based in Chicago American companies established in 1927 Food and drink companies established in 1927 Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Economy of the Midwestern United States Snyder's-Lance Inc. brands 1927 establishments in Illinois