Strong demand for organic foods has prompted up-market potato chip manufacturer Kettle Chips to increase production of its organic potato chips by 20% over last year’s levels, bringing organic production to the highest levels in the company’s history.
Kettle has also launched new packaging for its organic range, prominently featuring the US Department of Agriculture organic certification and Kettle brand logos.
The organic line comes in three flavours: Lightly Salted, Sea Salt and Black Pepper, and Chipotle Chili Barbeque.
In 1989 Kettle Foods was the first company to introduce a certified all-organic potato chip.
“Two decades ago, a lot of people thought we were crazy, but to us going organic made perfect sense,” said Michelle Peterman, vice president of marketing. “Why wouldn’t people want hand cooked organic potatoes with no artificial stuff? Now organic is all the rage, and we’ve been here all along doing our thing. It’s fun to watch the market catch on to the flavour promise of organic, and now our packaging better reflects it.”
Kettle organic potato chips are made from organic potatoes, expeller pressed oleic sunflower and safflower oils and spices.
Organic foods are among the fastest growing category in retail with sales rising 16% in 2005 to US$13.8bn, or 2.% of total US.food sales, according to the Organic Trade Association. Sales of organic chips are growing at twice the rate of natural potato chips, with sales up 41% in the 12 week period ending 7 October, 2006, according to AC Nielsen.
