Smith’s is celebrating 90 years since it began making potato crisps in the inner-Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.
Danny Celoni, CEO ANZ of the FMCG brand’s parent company PepsiCo described 90 years as a significant milestone for the brand and its consumers.
“Smith’s enjoys a proud Australian heritage with our one-of-a-kind potatoes being grown and produced by local Aussie farmers for generations,” Celoni said.
Since acquiring Smith’s four years ago, PepsiCo has invested more than $100 million into its manufacturing facilities to accelerate growth and improve innovation. New flavours and new products, such as Duos, Poppables and Oven Baked, have been launched during that time.
Smith’s has brought back five former favourite flavours as limited edition releases to mark the 90th anniversary: Tasty Cheese, Sausage Sizzle, Loaded Baked Potato, Garlic Bread and Crispy Bacon, all released in supermarkets.
Smith’s was founded in 1931 when Frank Smith and George Ensor started making chips using 20 gas-fired cooking pots. They packed them with “twist of salt” sachets before rolling out its first flavour – chicken – 30 years later.
The company currently buys 90,000 tonnes of potatoes from Australian farmers every year.
