Mister Bee Potato Chips is an American brand of
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 ...
s produced in
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...
, the only potato chip manufacturer in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. Founded in 1951 by Leo and Sara Klein as a
small local business, the company was family-owned until 2010. It is now incorporated as West Virginia Potato Chip Company, LLC, and since 2015 has been owned by Mary Anne Ketelson and partners.
History
Leo and Sara Klein founded Mister Bee Potato Chips in 1951, initially making the chips in the morning and delivering them in the afternoon. The company moved to its current site in 1962 and was a million-dollar company by the end of 1972. Leo Klein was succeeded as head of the company in 1979 by his son Alan, who took the title of
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
in 1988, and by 2010 Alan Klein's son Doug was President and
COO
COO or coo may refer to:
Business
* Certificate of origin, used in international trade
* Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official
* Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process
...
.
["Why Mister Bee Potato Chip Company?"]
Mister Bee Potato Chips, archived fro
on May 14, 2010.["About Mister Bee"]
Mister Bee Potato Chips, retrieved August 23, 2021.
In 2010, the company experienced financial difficulties after losing distribution contracts. In late 2011, production was reduced and then stopped and the company entered
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...
. In 2012 it was purchased by Randall Holden and James Richard Barton,
["Maker of Mister Bee potato chips rebounds from fire"]
Associated Press, ''Charleston Gazette-Mail
The ''Charleston Gazette-Mail'' is the only daily morning newspaper in Charleston, West Virginia. It is the product of a July 2015 merger between ''The Charleston Gazette'' and the ''Charleston Daily Mail''. The paper is one of nine owned by HD ...
'', November 3, 2013, retrieved August 23, 2021. and Christie Mallett replaced Doug Klein as company president. Holden subsequently took over as president. After a fire damaged the production plant in March 2013, the company renovated.
[
Mister Bee Potato Chip Company became West Virginia Potato Chip Company by 2013.][ In September 2015 it was purchased by Mary Anne (Welch) Ketelsen, Douglas Ketelsen, James Richard Barton, Gregory Barton, and Gregory Reed, and additional financing from Mary Maxine Welch.][ Reed became president.][Shay Maunz]
"He’s Mister Bee"
''West Virginia Focus'', via ''WV Living'', December 10, 2015. Mary Anne Ketelson, as majority owner, took over operations in 2018 and new equipment was installed that made possible an increase in production.[Evan Bevins]
"Mister Bee chips is a hive of activity"
''The Parkersburg News and Sentinel'', August 26, 2019, retrieved August 23, 2021. An expansion of the plant received initial approval in 2020. the company had 47 employees.[Tyler Bennett]
"West Virginia potato chip company expanding into other states"
''The Inter-Mountain
''The Inter-Mountain'' is an afternoon daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wid ...
'', June 28, 2021. As of May 2023, Kevin Holden, founder and CEO of Bite Brands of Atlanta, Ga., became majority owner. Mary Anne Ketelsen will remain as an owner of the company.
Products and distribution
West Virginia Potato Chip Company is the only remaining potato chip manufacturer in West Virginia, and formerly used the slogan "200 miles fresher" to emphasize that its chips were not shipped into the state from elsewhere.[ It sells Mister Bee potato chips in West Virginia, ]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 ...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
as well as online;[ in July–September 2021, distribution was expanded temporarily to ]Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.[ it produces eight varieties of potato chips, original, sour cream and onion, barbecue, dip style, cheddar sour cream, honey barbecue, jalapeño, and salt and vinegar, and also potato sticks; it also produces chips for other brands.][
In 2023, Mister Bee introduced West Virginia-themed chips, such as Pepperoni Roll and "304-style."]
/ref>
See also
* List of brand name snack foods
This is a list of brand name snack foods. A snack or snack food is a portion of food often smaller than a regular meal, generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods and items made from ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Mister Bee Potato Chips
Brand name snack foods
Products introduced in 1951
Manufacturing companies based in West Virginia
Wood County, West Virginia