Simba Chips
Product typePotato crisps
OwnerPepsiCo (1999)
CountrySouth Africa
Introduced1957; 67 years ago (1957)
Related brands
MarketsSouthern Africa
Previous owners
  • Greyvenstyn Family (1957)
  • Fedfood (1977)
  • Foodcorp (1992)
TaglineRoars with flavour
WebsiteBrand Website

Simba Chips (commonly referred to simply as Simba) is a popular South African brand of potato crisps. It was first introduced in 1957 by the Greyvensteyn family. "Simba" is the Swahili word for "lion" and the product's mascot is an adult male African Lion.[1][2]

History

Having successfully marketed Ouma Rusks in the 1940s and 1950s, the Greyvensteyn family were looking for ways to diversify their family business. In 1955, Leon Greyvensteyn travelled to a food fair in Germany in search of ideas. It was there that he met a man called Herman Lay – the co-founder of Frito-Lay, the largest chip company in the world.[3] The two men struck up a friendship, and Leon travelled on to the United States where he saw a potato chip factory in action.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "A flavour of genius". The Marketing Site. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. ^ Henderson, Roxanne (3 February 2016). "Simba takes a bite out of 'copycat' competitor". Sowetan Live. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  3. ^ Laing, Robert (28 March 2006). "Pepsi's comeback: Part II". Mail and Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Lay's". Fastmoving.co.za. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Ouma Rusks and Simba Chips". BizCommunity. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2016.


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