Description
Utz Quality Foods, Inc. was started in 1921 by Bill and Salie Utz in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Bill Utz, dissatisfied with the quality of potato chips being produced at the time, believed so strongly in the marketability of a wholesome quality chip that he quit his job and risked it all to begin producing the couple's own brand of potato chips.

Under the brand name of "Hanover Home Brand Potato Chips", Salie used her knowledge of good Pennsylvania Dutch cooking to make the chips in a small summer house behind their home on McAllister Street.

The hand operated equipment she used made about 50 pounds of chips per hour. Bill delivered the chips to independent stores and farmers' markets in the Hanover and Baltimore area. Demand for the chips grew rapidly, and Salie and Bill soon built a separate building behind their house. In 1936, they installed one of the first automatic potato chip cookers, capable of producing 300 pounds per hour. F.X. "Xav" Rice, who married Arlene Utz, one of Bill and Salie's two daughters, joined the organization to manage business operations.

When F.X. Rice retired in 1978, his son Michael Rice took over as the third generation of Utz management. This new team is leading major expansion of Utz's operations. Utz was the first in the snack industry to use in-truck computers to prepare invoices, manage inventory, and process route accounting transactions.

The steady growth of Utz Quality Foods is a reflection of Utz quality... in its facilities, in its products, and in its people. Together, effective management and a dedicated work force have provided the very best products to an ever growing marketplace for over 78 years.

Hours
The self guided tour of Utz Snacks allows you to view the entire 30 minute process that transforms a raw spud into a crunchy chip. Utz has evolved into a large, regional snack food company that produces up to 14,000 pounds of award winning chips per hour. After your tour, don't forget your souvenir bag of chips!

Tour Availability: Monday - Thursday 9am-4pm