At Wise® Foods, our goal is simple; to make real food for real people…great tasting snacks made from the finest ingredients and backed by exceptional customer service. From our familiar favorites to our newest varieties, we strive to be the snack you are proud to share with your friends and family.
In 1853, long before Earl Wise, Sr. started experimenting on his mother’s stove, the potato chip was just being created in a small resort hotel in Saratoga, New York. Moon’s Lake House, famous for its cuisine, had Native American George Crum as their head chef. The story goes that as dinner was being served one evening to a guest who had recently returned form Paris, the guest demanded thinner-than-usual French fried potatoes, like those he had enjoyed in the French capital.
Irritated, Chef Crum picked up a knife, sliced a potato paper-thin and plunged it into a kettle of boiling fat. Minutes later, he salted the pieces and placed the world’s first potato chips in front of the guest. They were an instant hit and Moon’s Lake House immediately capitalized on the Indian chef’s discovery by featuring potato chips on its menu. The chips soon became known as Saratoga Chips.
Such a good thing was not destined to remain buried long in Saratoga. Soon the making of potato chips was taken over by enterprising men such as Earl Wise, Sr. Potato chips are now history - from an exasperated attempt to satisfy a fussy customer to the most popular snack in the world. It’s fitting that a natural ingredient spurred the origin of our company. Wise® Snacks came to exist because Mr. Wise, then a young grocer, had too many potatoes. Being a frugal businessman, he decided to use the extra potatoes to make potato chips. This was in 1921, so he did all the work by hand and sold the chips in brown paper bags from his store.
Earl’s chips enjoyed instant popularity and rapid growth in the eastern United States for the remaining century. For over 85 years, from small batches in his mother’s kitchen to a remodeled garage to the current state-of-the-art facility, one thing has never changed: Earl Wise, Sr., and the company that bears his name, makes terrific, all-natural chips.
Earl Wise’s great success with his potato chip company attracted the attention of Borden Condensed Milk Co., Inc. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Borden was acquiring a variety of companies involved in chemicals, paints, wallpaper, textile coatings, paper, and plastics. In 1964, Borden bought the Wise® Potato Chip Company, the leading potato chip company in the eastern United States.
In 1968 the Borden Condensed Milk Co., now highly diversified, shortened its name to Borden, Inc. The Wise® Potato Chip company had expanded its product offering to include Cheez Doodles® puffed cheese snacks, Wise® Popcorn, Bravos® Tortilla Chips, and other snack foods. Following Borden, The Wise® Potato Chip Company changed its name to Wise® Foods, Inc. and continued to enjoy great success.
In 1994, Borden was put up for sale and a subsidiary of buyout firm Kohlber, Kravis, Roberts & Company acquired Borden. In October 2000, Wise® Foods, Inc was purchased by the current owners, Palladium Equity Partners L.L.C. Formed in 1997, Palladium had invested in a number of industries, including radio, television, and automotive components. Wise® represented the firm's first involvement in the food business.
A new management team was established at Wise® in late 2004 that refocused the company on its core products and core markets. Since then, the company has rebuilt its business model and product portfolio to better serve its loyal customers and return the Company to a position of strength. In 2006, Wise® Foods, Inc. was pleased to announce that the company headquarters would return to its Berwick, PA origins. We are proud members of the community and strive to support the Berwick area and the State of Pennsylvania through hard work and dedication. Wise® has literally employed generations of families from the local area. We are certain that you will notice this commitment as you enjoy your favorite Wise® snack!
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