Popchips
Popchips is a brand of processed potato and corn products marketed as similar to potato chips. They are manufactured by processing potato starch at high pressure and temperature, in a process similar to that used for puffed rice cakes.[1]
History
Keith Belling is a co-founder and CEO of Popchips. Belling teamed up with Patrick Turpin, and created a new popped chip.[2] The company created a chip that utilizes potato and corn products that are cooked at a high pressure and temperature.[3] Turpin co-founded Popchips, Inc., and serves as its President.
In November, 2015 David Ritterbush was named CEO of the company, replacing Paul Davis.[4]
Recognition
The company was rated by Forbes as among America's top 20 most promising companies in 2011.[5] Forbes also reported that investors in the company included Ashton Kutcher, David Ortiz, Jillian Michaels, Katy Perry and Sean Combs.[6]
Celebrities
Ashton Kutcher was the first Celebrity to endorse the company, with 13 million followers on Twitter. Kutcher boosted the publicity of Popchips.[7] Kutcher wrote his first check to Popchips inc. in 2010.[8] In 2012, Popchips also gained another celebrity endorser, Katy Perry. Since 2012, Perry featured in advertisements and also helped to launch her own flavor of Popchips, Katy's Kettle Corn.[9]
Controversy
Popchips received widespread criticism for their May 2012 video ad campaign featuring actor Ashton Kutcher.[10] The campaign featured Kutcher as an Indian man 'looking for love' in a dating ad-style spoof. Kutcher's use of brown-face make up and a stereotypical Indian accent was deemed racially insensitive and offensive and received backlash from online viewers and members of the Indian-American community.[11] While Kutcher has yet to acknowledge the criticism, the video was pulled and a spokesperson for Popchips stated that the dating parody was 'created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone.'[12]
Awards
Since 2007, Popchips has won the following awards:[13]
- Best Crispy Snack for Kids - IVillage
- Best Snack - Shape (magazine)
- Best Potato Chip - Men's Health (magazine)
- Outstanding Snack - sofi Awards
- Best Chips - Real Simple (magazine)
- Best Chips Under 100 Calories - Eat This, Not That (magazine)
- One of the 8 Most Addicting Foods - Yahoo! Shine
- Best Low Calorie Snack - Good Housekeeping (magazine)
- Best Chips - Slash Food
- Best Crunchy Snack - Fitness (magazine)
- #1 Potato Chip - Kiwi (magazine)
- Best Chips - Health (magazine)
Distribution
Popchips provides its snack through a network of retail stores including Target, Safeway, and Walgreens[14] in the United States, Canada, and also online.
Products
Popchips are produced in a number of flavors in addition to the original flavor:
Potato
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Cheddar
- Barbeque
- Sea Salt & Vinegar
- Sweet Potato
- Parmesan & Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Salt & Pepper
- Chile Lime
- Thai Sweet Chili
- Ketchup
- Hint of Olive Oil Veggie Chips
- Cheddar & Sour Cream
- Crazy Hot
Tortilla
- Nacho Cheese
- Ranch
- Chili Limon
- Salsa
Corn
- Katy's Kettle Corn
Nutritional Information
- A share size bag of potato popchips (3 oz.) contain 120 calories per serving size (1 oz.).[15]
- A share size bag of tortilla popchips (3.5 oz.) contain 120 calories per serving size (1 oz.).[16]
- A share size bag of Katy's Kettle Corn popchips (3.5 oz.) contain 130 calories per serving size (1 oz.).[17]
References
- ↑ Eats, Serious. "How Popchips Are Made, Why They're So Popular". www.seriouseats.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Our Story". Popchips. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ↑ Eats, Serious. "How Popchips Are Made, Why They're So Popular". www.seriouseats.com. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ Nunes, Keith. "Popchips names new c.e.o.". Food Business News. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ↑ "#4 Popchips". Forbes magazine. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ↑ Nelson, Brett. "Top 20 Americas Most Promising Companies". Forbes magazine. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ↑ Casserly, Meghan. "Popchips: The Next $1 Billion Snack Food Or Just Full Of Hot Air?". Forbes. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ Hong, Nicole. "New Kind of Chip Pops on the Scene". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ Mullen, Katelyn (25 July 2012). "Katy Perry Popchips: Singer Signs On For Latest Celebrity Endorsement". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ↑ Hayden, Erik. "Pop Chips Pulls Offensive Ashton Kutcher Ad". Time. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "I'm still waiting for Ashton Kutcher's apology - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Went too far! Ashton Kutcher's 'racist' commercial pulled after backlash from horrified viewers". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Awards". PopChips. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ Greenwald, David. "Katy Perry Announces Her Own Popchips Flavor". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ↑ "Popchips". Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ↑ "Popchips". Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ↑ "Popchips". Retrieved 15 November 2013.