Tyrrells
Product typeSnack foods
OwnerKP Snacks
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced2002
Previous owners
Websitetyrrellscrisps.co.uk
tyrrellschips.com
tyrrellscrisps.com.au
Shelf with four varieties of Tyrrells potato crisps in a supermarket in Germany (2023)

Tyrrells Potato Crisps Ltd[a] (doing business as Tyrells) is a British manufacturer of potato crisps owned by KP Snacks.

History

Tyrrells was founded in Leominster, Herefordshire, in 2002 by farmer and entrepreneur William Chase.[1] Within several years of its creation, Tyrrells expanded its market into Europe and later into the U.S. Tyrrells has received numerous awards for the taste and quality of its crisps, both in England, as well as internationally.[2]

In April 2008, Chase sold a majority stake for £40 million to Langholm Capital.[3] Chase had a long running dispute with Tesco over stocking his potatoes, and so refused to sell them any supplies of Tyrrells.[4] He said that his previous farming business had collapsed when "the large supermarkets, led by Tesco, began sourcing produce from overseas to push down costs."[4] After Langholm took over, they dropped the existing distribution chain, and focused on large supermarkets including Tesco; they then dropped Chase as a supplier of potatoes when they "found they could get them cheaper elsewhere".[5] Chase used the money from the sale of his stake in Tyrrells to start production of Chase Vodka, again using his own farmed potatoes.[6]

In July 2013, the firm was sold for £100 million to Investcorp, a Bahrain-based luxury brands investor.[5]

In 2015, Tyrrells acquired Yarra Valley Snack Foods, based in Melbourne, Australia, where it now manufactures products for the Australian market.[7][8]

In August 2016, US-based Amplify Snacks, maker of Skinny Pop popcorn, bought Tyrrells from Investcorp for £300 million.[3] David Milner, Tyrrells' chief executive, said: "As a small, UK farm-based business it is a tremendous achievement to be now part of a US publicly traded company with the international reach to make Tyrrells a global brand." The company will continue to be based in Herefordshire. Amplify Snacks was subsequently acquired by The Hershey Company.

In May 2018, KP Snacks acquired Tyrrells.[9]

Products

Tyrrells veg crisps

Tyrrells produces a number of different types of crisps, popcorn and tortilla. As of January 2024 they produce 25 flavours of potato and vegetable crisps.[2][10][11]

In 2010, Perry Haydn Taylor of the agency Big Fish Design began work on branding and marketing Tyrrells, creating the "quintessentially English" identity of the product.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ As shown on the United Kingdom's corporations registry, under company no. 04339626.

References

  1. ^ McLaughlin, Lisa (31 January 2008). "The Yankee Chipper". Time. New York. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Tyrrells". Tomoe Corporation. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b Farrell, Sean (8 August 2016). "Tyrrells sold for £300m to US firm Amplify Snacks". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b Milmo, Dan (18 September 2006). "Crunch time for Tesco in row with crisp maker". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b Neate, Rupert (1 August 2013). "Tyrrells crisp firm makes a packet in £100m sale". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  6. ^ Neate, Rupert (21 July 2011). "William Chase: Potato farmer who struck gold". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  7. ^ Beaumont, Warren (6 August 2015). "Tyrrells crisps acquires Australia's Yarra Valley Snack Foods". Convenience and Impulse Retailing. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Potato Crisps". Tyrrells (Australia). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. ^ "KP buys Tyrells".
  10. ^ "Our English crisps". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Tyrrells". PotatoPro. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Tyrrells". big fish. Retrieved 14 May 2014.


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