Kettle Brand
Kettle Brand fuels natural chip creativity with a new Innovation Center and new automation in its Oregon plant.
For the complete story on Kettle Brand, see “Natural chip leader Kettle Brand continues innovation.”
NONE
Cameron Healy, a food-industry entrepreneur with deep roots in Oregon and the natural-foods industry, began selling his inspired potato chips out of the back of a van in 1982. Within a few short years, Kettle Brand chips had developed a loyal, international following. Healy later sold Kettle Foods to a private-equity group in 2006, which subsequently sold to Diamond Foods in 2010. Then, in October 2015, Snyder’s-Lance Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Diamond Foods in a cash and stock merger transaction.
NONE
Diamond Foods recently unveiled a new, state-of-the-art, 7,000-square-foot Innovation Center adjacent to its original Salem plant to house R&D for all company brands, including flavors, formats and packaging, for Kettle Brand, Pop Secret, Emerald and Diamond of California products. The kitchen can do small batch runs replicating some plant cooking processes. The center also houses sensory testing, and features a multipurpose meeting space and innovation studio.
NONE
Kettle Brand’s Salem, OR plant receives an average of 500,000 pounds of potatoes a day. While the potatoes are scoured during the cleansing process, they aren’t peeled. “The peel is part of the texture and flavor of the chip,” says Kirk Jensen, senior vice president, manufacturing, engineering & quality. “We’ll fry the chips for 8 to 10 minutes per batch. We want to get it down to a certain temperature to give us what we believe is the Kettle Brand texture, bite and curl.”
NONE
After frying, the chips pass under optical and laser sorters to remove any defective or out-of-spec chips. The conveyor system also sizes the chips for packaging in smaller or larger bags. In keeping with Kettle Brand’s zero-waste goals, all defective product sees repurposing in products like livestock feed or biofuel. Nothing goes to the landfill.
NONE
Tumblers then season the chips, feeding the form/fill/seal bagging system. The facility has begun automating case packing, with the goal of eventually automating the entire end of the line, including palletizing.
NONE
Kettle Brand is a home to notable flavor innovation, and the team has seen demand for pickled flavors increase. “To keep up with this trend, we launched Krinkle Cut Dill Pickle Chips in August 2015 and Pepperoncini Chips in December 2014,” says Marc McCullagh, senior brand manager. These bold flavors have found strong followings, he reports, but the classics remain strong. “Our Sea Salt Chips, Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips and Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper Chips continue to be best-sellers.”
NONE
Kettle Brand has expanded into multiple product types through the years, including a line of baked chips. The brand has earned Non-GMO Project verification on 35 products in the past five years, including all new product introductions.
NONE
Kettle Brand launched its ready-to-eat popcorn in 2014. The current lineup of Kettle Brand Popcorn includes White Cheddar, Maple Bacon, Sea Salt, Salt + Pepper, Sriracha and Jalapeño.
NONE
Kettle Brand’s most-recent introduction is a line of vegetable chips dubbed Kettle Brand Uprooted. The line includes Sweet Potatoes, Beets and Parsnips, as well as a Sweet Potatoes flavor. Both are sliced thick and lightly seasoned with sea salt.
NONE
During R&D, Kettle Brand formulators use flavor metrics of real foods as “guardrails” to keep them on track, as well as “pivot points” to ensure that the resultant product maintains strong relevancy for the brand. According to Carolyn Ottenheimer, senior director of research & development and chief flavor architect, “I think the key aspect that makes us stand apart is that the flavors of our chips really taste true to the real food.”