Wyandot Snacks is a privately held and family owned American contract manufacturer of snacks and other packaged foods, headquartered in

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, a part of the

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

Combined statistical area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

. primarily as a contract manufacturer for domestic and international branded snack businesses, but also for foodservice customers. The company's main product lines are extruded snacks, corn & tortilla chips, and ready to eat (RTE) popcorn. Wyandot's focuses on the creation of plant-based snack products made from

ancient grains Ancient grains is a marketing term used to describe a category of grains and pseudocereals that are purported to have been minimally changed by selective breeding over recent millennia, as opposed to more widespread cereals such as corn, rice and ...

such as

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

and

quinoa Quinoa (''Chenopodium quinoa''; , from Quechua ' or ') is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and ...

pulses In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

such as

chickpea The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...

s, and

flaxseed Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in W ...

, among others.

History

Wyandot Popcorn Company was founded in

Wyandot County, Ohio Wyandot County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,900. Its county seat is Upper Sandusky. It was named for the Wyandot Indians, who lived here before and after ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

by Hoover and Ava (King) Brown. Mrs. Brown was the daughter of George W. King, one of the founders of the

Marion Power Shovel Company Marion Power Shovel Company was an American firm that designed, manufactured and sold steam shovels, power shovels, blast hole drills, excavators, and dragline excavators for use in the construction and mining industries. The company was a maj ...

. In 1936, as a way to diversify their family's farming income from grains and livestock, the Browns planted their first 100 acres of popcorn and entered the business of growing and selling raw popcorn. Popcorn became a popular treat in America at the time given its affordability. In 1948 a subsidiary, Popped-Right Corn Company, was established initially to sell ready-to-eat (RTE) popcorn to movie theatres. Popped-Right, in conjunction with local Marion candy company Shirk's, created one of the first formulas of caramel popcorn for broad commercialization. In 1964 both Wyandot Popcorn and Popped-Right consolidated their office operations into a new facility in

Marion, Ohio Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio, Marion County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 United S ...

while maintaining the raw popcorn processing on the farm in Wyandot County. Also in the 1960s Popped-Right, under the direction of son Warren Brown, diversified into corn-based snacks to supply regional

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 appe ...

marketers who were seeking to compete against a growing

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-flavor ...

. The raw popcorn business, led by son George Brown, continued to grow as well, to the point where Wyandot was selling 50 million pounds of popcorn and selling it to over 75 countries, representing nearly a quarter of the global trade in raw popcorn. By the 1980s Wyandot was the second largest processor of popcorn in the United States. Both businesses were consolidated in 1981 under Wyandot, Inc. In 1981 Wyandot purchased a second snack manufacturing location in

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...

. In 1989 Wyandot sold its raw popcorn operation to Vogel Popcorn, who subsequently sold the business to

ConAgra Foods Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...

. With an increased focus on contract manufacturing versus private label business and business with regional potato chip companies, Wyandot sold the Jeffersonville plant in 2004. In the first decade of the 2000s Wyandot manufactured

Cracker Jack Cracker Jack is an American brand of snack food that consists of molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn, and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of trivial value inside. The Cracker Jack name and slogan, "The More You Eat The ...

for Frito Lay, as well as ''Pringles Select'' chips for

Pringles Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based crisps. Originally sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", the brand was sold in 2012 to the current owner, Kellogg's. As of 2011, Pri ...

when that brand was owned by P&G. In March 2018 Wyandot elected three snack industry veterans to its Board of Directors: James Kairos, formerly of Bare Snacks, Sundia and

Odwalla Odwalla Inc. () was an American food product company selling fruit juices, smoothies and food bars founded in Santa Cruz, California in 1980 and from 1995–2020 was headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California. Odwalla's products included juices, ...

; Blake Thompson, former SVP and operations/logistic leader for

Snyder's-Lance Snyder's-Lance, Inc. is the second largest salty snack maker in the United States. It was formed by the 2010 merger of Lance Inc. and Snyder's of Hanover. The company is a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company. History On September 6, 2012, ...

and

, and Steve Van Tassel, former CEO of

Weetabix Weetabix is a breakfast cereal produced by Weetabix Limited in the United Kingdom. It comes in the form of palm-sized (approx. 9.5 cm × 5.0 cm or 4" × 2") wheat biscuits. Variants include organic and Weetabix Crispy Minis (bite-si ...

, North America and former President of

Post Cereals Post Consumer Brands (previously Post Cereals and Postum Cereals; also known as simply "Post") is an American breakfast cereal manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota. The company, founded in 1895 by C. W. Post, owns a large portfoli ...

. In 2021 Jolie Weber, CEO of Lenny & Larry's and former CEO of

Wise Foods Wise Foods, Inc. is a company based in Berwick, Pennsylvania, that makes snacks and sells them through retail food outlets in 15 eastern seaboard states, as well as Vermont, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. Best k ...

, joined the company's Board. Wyandot's plant is certified SQF Level 3. Wyandot was certified as a

B Corporation In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that include ...

in January 2020. Wyandot is one of the largest food & beverage contract manufacturers in the world to achieve this certification.

Products and manufacturing capabilities

Products made from single and twin screw extrusion capabilities include curls and puffs made singly or in combinations of corn, rice,

(like chickpeas, beans, peas), made from fruits and other vegetables, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and made with ancient grains. RTE popcorn is made both air and kettle popped. Corn based snacks include corn chips, tortilla chips, and tortilla strips. Wyandot once utilized a former P&G craft chip line to manufacture award-winning specialty chips made from chickpeas and combinations of various vegetable components.

Community

Wyandot Snacks and the Brown family have provided substantial community support to Marion. Wyandot's shareholders, officers and directors serve in leadership roles and provide support for a number of local organizations including the Marion Chamber of Commerce, Marion CanDo (Marion's economic development office), the Marion Community Foundation and the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

, the Marion Rotary,

Marion Technical College Marion Technical College, (Marion Tech or MTC) is a public technical college in Marion, Ohio. It shares a campus with Ohio State University at Marion. Founded in 1970 with classes beginning in 1971, MTC has awarded over 7,500 associate degrees ...

, and OSU Marion, among others. Wyandot also participated in the Harding 2020 project to build a Presidential Center for

Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. ...

, the last President from Ohio. In response to the coronavirus crisis in the Spring of 2020, Wyandot has donated free snacks to Marion County schools and law enforcement ('First Responders"), enhanced free products for its workers, and purchased gift cards from struggling local restaurants and distributed them to all employees.

Marion Popcorn Festival

With its 85-year heritage in popcorn, Wyandot is a longstanding sponsor of the annual Popcorn Festival held in September of each year in Marion.

Wyandot Popcorn Museum

Wyandot Snacks is a founding sponsor of the Wyandot Popcorn Museum, housed in the Old U.S. Post Office.

SNAC International

Wyandot has supported SNAC International (and its predecessor associations) for decades. SNAC International Extends All Officer Terms. Retrieved April 30, 2021
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References

{{reflist

External links

Wyandot Snacks website

Wyandot Popcorn Museum

Marion Popcorn Festival
Certified B Corporations in the Food & Beverage Industry Companies based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area Food and drink companies established in 1936 Food and drink companies of the United States Food manufacturers of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Ohio Manufacturing companies established in 1936 Marion, Ohio Privately held companies based in Ohio Privately held companies of the United States Snack food manufacturers of the United States 1936 establishments in Ohio