Tayto (Republic of Ireland)

Last updated

Tayto Snacks
Industry Potato crisps
Founded25 May 1954;69 years ago (1954-05-25)
FounderJoe Murphy
Headquarters
Ashbourne, County Meath
,
Ireland
Area served
 Ireland
Owner Intersnack
Website taytocrisps.ie taytosnacks.ie

Tayto Snacks is a crisps and popcorn manufacturer in Ireland, founded by Joe Murphy in May 1954 [1] [2] and owned by German snack food company Intersnack. [3] It owns several brands, including its leading product of Tayto Crisps for which it invented the first flavoured crisp production process. [4] The first seasoned crisps produced were Cheese & Onion. [5] [6] Companies worldwide sought to buy the rights to Tayto's technique. [7] Tayto crisps are a cultural phenomenon throughout Ireland, [8] so much so that in November 2010, Tayto opened their own theme park called " Tayto Park " near Ashbourne. [9]

Contents

The company is entirely separate from Tayto Group Limited in Northern Ireland, which has a similar product range. Tayto in the Republic of Ireland owns the name and mascot, and Tayto in Northern Ireland uses both under a licensing agreement. The Northern Irish Tayto is widely sold in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain, while the Republic of Ireland brand is sold in the Republic.

History and ownership

Logo for the crisps of the same name Mr tayto.jpg
Logo for the crisps of the same name

Tayto was founded in 1954 in Dublin by a local man known as Joe 'Spud' Murphy, who is credited with having invented the world's first flavoured crisp. [10]

Two years later, in 1956, the licensing rights of the Tayto name and recipes were sold to the Hutchinson family for distribution outside the Republic of Ireland and allowed for the creation of Tayto (Northern Ireland).

The company came to be owned by Cantrell and Cochrane (C. & C), and was based in Coolock, Dublin, until that factory was closed in September 2005, with production outsourced to Ray Coyle's Largo Foods. Largo agreed to purchase the brand from C. & C. in May 2006 for €62.3 million. [11]

Coyle sold partial control of the company to German food company Intersnack, and in 2015, he sold his remaining shares, ending the Irish ownership of the company. [3] In Northern Ireland, Tayto Limited is still owned and run by the Hutchinson family and is totally distinct from Tayto in Republic of Ireland, from which it licences the brand. [12]

Brands

A bowl of Tayto Cheese & Onion flavour potato crisps Tayto cheese and onion crisps.jpg
A bowl of Tayto Cheese & Onion flavour potato crisps

Tayto crisps come in several flavours: Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar, Smokey Bacon, Prawn Cocktail, and the limited edition flavour Tex Mex. [13]

In the early 2000s, the company targeted the healthy eating market, with its low salt, low fat crisps, originally branded as Honest. [14] Tayto referred to this range as the Happy & Healthy range. [15] The healthy range has since evolved and Tayto have launched Tayto Lentils which is 40% less fat to target the healthy eating market. [16]

Tayto Snack's portfolio of brands in the Republic of Ireland includes Tayto, King, O'Donnells of Tipperary, Hunky Dorys, Hula Hoops, Popchips, KP, Penn State, Pom-Bear, & McCoy's. [17]

Marketing

Tayto has used its mascot, Mr Tayto, in a number of marketing campaigns with previous endorsers such as Westlife. In the 2007 Irish General Election, Tayto ran an advertising campaign with Mr Tayto as a fake election candidate. [18] Tayto claimed that the number of spoiled votes in the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency indicate that some actually voted for their mascot, but this is purely speculative. [19] Tayto was fined during the campaign for littering, due to its fake election posters being posted in public places. [20]

In 2009 Tayto Ltd. published The Man Inside the Jacket, a fictional autobiography of Mr Tayto written by Maia Dunphy, Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara. Tayto indicated that a percentage of the cover price would go to Irish charity Aware, which assists people affected by depression, bipolar disorder and related mood conditions.[ citation needed ]

In May 2022 the Mr. Tayto mascot was removed from all Cheese & Onion packaging, and a "Where Is Mr. Tayto" tagline was added. [21] Later that month, a statement was made from Mr. Tayto's official social media accounts which claimed that Mr. Tayto was taking a break from work to see the world, beginning the "Mr. Tayto's Bucket List" campaign. [22]

Tayto Park

In November 2010, Ray Coyle (who owned Largo Foods and Tayto at the time), opened a theme park named Tayto Park near Ashbourne in County Meath [9] The park remained under Coyle's ownership when Largo Foods and the Tayto brand became part of Intersnack. Factory tours were available in conjunction with visits to the theme park on certain days. [23]

In February 2022, it was announced that the existing title sponsorship contract would not be renewed, with the park renamed to "Emerald Park" when the existing contract expired in January 2023. [23]

In 2006, Tayto tried to compel Irish band Toasted Heretic to destroy all copies of their album Now in New Nostalgia Flavour, which featured an image based on the trademarked "Mr Tayto" icon, [24] although the image had been used since 1988 on Toasted Heretic's cassette album Songs for Swinging Celibates . [25]

Advertising

Could have been the 1st product to advertise on Irish television Christmas 1961, Popular adverts with Pyrmaid using the phrase "They Ate The Wonder Of The World" in 1993. GAA football match in 2005 and in 2023 a Christmas advert from Father Christmas.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potato chip</span> Deep-fried or baked thin slice of potato

A potato chip or crisp is a thin slice of potato that has been deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or appetizer. The basic chips are cooked and salted; additional varieties are manufactured using various flavorings and ingredients including herbs, spices, cheeses, other natural flavors, artificial flavors, and additives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pringles</span> American brand of snack chips since 1968

Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based chips invented by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips". It is technically considered an extruded snack because of the manufacturing process. The brand was sold in 2012 to Kellogg's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hula Hoops</span> Snack food made from potatoes and corn

Hula Hoops are a snack food made out of potatoes and corn in the shape of short, hollow cylinders. Created by KP Snacks in the United Kingdom in 1973. As well as being sold in the UK, they are also sold in the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. Hula Hoops are also sold in Belgium under the "Croky" tag, made in the UK but marketed and distributed from Mouscron, Belgium. In France, Hula Hoops are produced by Vico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Wonder</span> British snack food company

Golden Wonder is a British company that manufactures snack foods, most notably crisps. These include Ringos, Golden Wonder and Transform-A-Snack. Since 2006, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Northern Irish company Tayto, purchased from administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Smith's Snackfood Company</span> Snack food manufacturing company

The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food brand owned by the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo. It is best known for its brand of potato crisps. The company was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom in 1920 as Smiths Potato Crisps Ltd, originally packaging a twist of salt with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags which were sold around London. The dominant brand in the UK until the 1960s when Golden Wonder took over with Cheese & Onion, Smith's countered by creating Salt & Vinegar flavour which was launched nationally in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayto (Northern Ireland)</span> Manufacturer of crisps and corn snacks

Tayto Group Limited is a manufacturer of crisps and corn snacks based in Tandragee, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. They describe themselves as the third largest snack manufacturer in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skips (snack)</span> Snack from the United Kingdom and Ireland

Skips are a snack from the United Kingdom and Ireland which were first launched in 1974 in prawn cocktail flavour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster Munch</span> Baked corn snack

Monster Munch are a British baked corn snack created by Smiths in 1977 and manufactured by Walkers. They are aimed at children and widely consumed in the United Kingdom. Flavours include Roast Beef, Pickled Onion and Sweet and Spicy Flamin' Hot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nik Naks (British snack)</span> Type of extruded corn snack

Nik Naks are a type of extruded corn snack previously manufactured by Sooner Foods in Scunthorpe, England. The snack was introduced as Crunchy Wotsits, with a cheese flavour, in 1981. The brand was purchased by Golden Wonder in 1987 and then sold to United Biscuits in 2006. In December 2012, United Biscuits agreed to sell the KP Snacks brand, including Nik Naks, to the European Intersnack Group. As of 2021, Nik Naks are made in three flavours with different colour packaging for each.

KP Snacks Limited is a British producer of branded and own-label maize-, potato-, and nut-based snacks, "Choc Dips" and nuts. The KP stands for “Kenyon Produce”. The company is based in Slough, England, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCoy's (crisp)</span> UK crisps brand

McCoy's is a brand of crinkle-cut crisps made in the United Kingdom by KP Snacks. It was first produced in 1985 and is marketed under the slogan "The Real McCoy's – Accept No Imitations", exploiting the Scottish idiom "the real McCoy". McCoy's is the third biggest brand in the bagged crisps market, with 5 million packets consumed each week and nearly a third of all UK households consuming the product. It was once promoted by United Biscuits "as the only overtly male-targeted crisp brand".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walkers (snack foods)</span> British snack food manufacturer

Walkers Snack Foods Limited, trading as Walkers, is a British snack food manufacturer mainly operating in the UK and Ireland. The company is best known for manufacturing potato crisps and other snack foods. In 2013, it held 56% of the British crisp market. Walkers was founded in 1948 in Leicester, England, by Henry Walker. The Walkers family sold the business in 1970 to American food producer, Standard Brands. In 1989, Walkers was acquired by PepsiCo, owners of US snack brand Frito-Lay.

Wheat Crunchies are a crisp wheat snack produced under the British snack producer KP Snacks Ltd. They come in several flavours including Spicy Tomato, Crispy Bacon and Cheddar & Onion. A regular multipack bag contains 20g and a normal retail pack contains 30g.

Real Crisps is a crisp brand. The company was founded in 1997, and expanded over the following decade to become a business turning over £15 million a year. In 2007, it was purchased by the Northern Ireland-based crisp manufacturer Tayto. In 2012, a fire caused the destruction of the 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) Real Crisp factory in Crumlin, Caerphilly. There are a range of flavours produced, and the company ran a limited edition political themed range prior to the 2010 United Kingdom general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intersnack</span> German snack food company

Intersnack Group GmbH & Co. KG is a German snack food company that annually produces around 600,000 tonnes of snacks including potato chips, nuts, baked products and specialty snacks. The company made its first potato chips in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald Park</span> Amusement park in Ireland

Emerald Park is a 22.26 ha amusement park and zoo located in the townland of Kilbrew, County Meath, Ireland. Upon opening, the park was themed around the Irish potato crisp brand Tayto, and was originally conceptualised by Tayto’s founder, farmer-turned-entrepreneur Raymond Coyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pom-Bear</span> Snack food brand

Pom-Bear is a teddy bear shaped potato chip sold under the Chio brand. They are produced by Intersnack in Doetinchem, the Netherlands and are sold in over 30 European countries. They were first introduced in 1987 in Germany where they are known as Pom-Bär and were later introduced to the UK in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squares (crisps)</span> Brand of snack food

Squares formerly known as Square and Square Crisps are a British brand of square-shaped crisps made by Walkers, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. They were originally made by The Smith's Snackfood Company.

References

  1. ↑ TaytoCrisps.ie Archived 5 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "THE TAYTO CRISP CO – Irish Company Info". SoloCheck. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Tayto Snacks becomes the crisp new name for Largo Foods". The Irish Times. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "Obituary: Joe 'Spud' Murphy". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 5 November 2001. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Joe 'Spud' Murphy: The Man Who Gave Potato Chips Flavor". HuffPost. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "Tayto crisp barons who made a packet". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. ↑ Hochman, Karen. "A History of the Potato Chip: Page 4: The First Salted & Flavored Potato Chips". The Nibble. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  8. ↑ O'Connell, Brian (6 June 2009). "Two packets of Tayto and a bottle of TK ..." The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  9. 1 2 Casey, Ann. "Opening of Tayto Park near Ashbourne brings 85 jobs". The Meath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "Created world's first cheese and onion crisps". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "C&C Group says to sell Tayto Crisps to Largo Food for 62.3 mln eur". Forbes. 7 May 2006.[ dead link ]
  12. ↑ "After 35 years, the iconic face of Tayto Crisps has stepped away from his company". Fora.ie. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  13. ↑ Archived 18 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Archived 18 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Archived 17 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Archived 2 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine "Tayto Lentils". iRadio. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  17. ↑ Archived 2 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine "Our Brands". Tayto Snacks. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  18. ↑ "Tayto are mass littering the whole country " Damien Mulley". Mulley.net. 9 May 2007. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  19. ↑ Archived 11 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ "Don'T Fine Me, Urges Willie Over His Posters – By Anne Sheridan – Local – Limerick Leader". Limerickleader.ie. 6 June 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Has anyone seen Mr Tayto?". JOE.ie. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Where is Mr. Tayto?". Where's Mr. Tayto?. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  23. 1 2 Gleeson, Colin. "Tayto Park to be renamed as facility seeks 'new identity'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  24. ↑ "Toasted Heretic in battle with Tayto". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  25. ↑ "Toasted Heretic original official website". Archived from the original on 7 December 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.