Utz Quality Foods Inc., Hanover, Pa., recently celebrated its one-year anniversary by acquiring The Wachusett Potato Chip Co., Fitchburg, Mass., and announcing that the Wachusett plant more than doubled the number of its employees in 2012, from 32 to 67.

Utz purchased the Wachusett Potato Chip Co.’s Water Street facility, trucks and equipment in September 2011 and has made considerable investments in the plant, where it produces Utz and Wachusett Potato Chips and Utz Potato Stix.

When Utz acquired the Fitchburg company, it also leased a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Sterling, Mass. The warehouse serves as a location to store products made in Fitchburg and Hanover before redistributing them to 10 distribution centers in New England and upstate New York. It’s also the headquarters for 20 employees who provide direct store sales to local retailers.

“Utz is proud that we’ve more than doubled our employees in Fitchburg and brought on additional staff in Sterling to better serve our loyal New England customers,” said Steve Liantonio, senior vice president of sales to the Northeast region. “Locally produced snack foods means the freshest and highest quality products are made readily available to retailers and consumers in New England. We are proud of the products and service we provide to the market, and are excited to be part of the fabric of New England and contribute to the growth of the region’s economy."