Potatoes, salt, and oil. That’s all it takes to make the perfect potato chip, according to Paul LaGuardia, owner of Hartville Potato Chips. That, he said, and an acceptance of a certain occupational hazard.
“Always watch your clothes cause things are a little greasy around here,” LaGuardia said, as he opened the gate into the chip production floor.
LaGuardia founded the Akron chip company with his brother, Anthony, and his cousin, Ted Robb. They’re one of a handful of Ohio snack manufacturers that help make the state a top potato chip producer.
“There is a proud history of making potato chips here in Ohio,” LaGuardia said.
The making of a potato chip
Hartville Potato Chips make small batch kettle chips, going through thousands of pounds of locally grown potatoes every day. The peeled potatoes tumble down a conveyor belt to be inspected and cut to size before they’re sliced.
The slices nosedive into a bubbling vat of oil. Once they have the right amount of kettle crisp, the head chef rakes them out and sends them to a tumbler of salt.
“It basically just drops a waterfall of salt over the chips,” La Guardia said.
That’s where the process can get a little bit controversial, he said.
“The hardest part about the job is 50% of people want more salt, 50% of people want less salt. You can never make anyone happy.”
Ohio’s chip history
LaGuardia believes less is more, so Hartville Potato Chips are on the less seasoned side of the spectrum. But, if you swear by salt, don’t worry: There are plenty of Ohio-based chips to satisfy your craving.
“Even though Ohio accounts for only a small portion of the nation's potato harvests, the Buckeye State ranks second only to Pennsylvania in production,” said Alan Richer, a foremost potato chip historian.
Richer is known as the “Toga Chip Guy”, a nod to Saratoga, where the snack was invented. But despite that New York origin story, he said Ohio’s contribution to chip history is no small potatoes.
The first potato chip factory started in a Cleveland kitchen. And it was an Ohio resident, Harvey Noss, that founded the snack trade association that ensured the salty snack’s production continued even amid World War II rationing.
“They successfully lobbied Congress to have the potato chips declared an essential food group, which meant they could obtain extra gasoline rations for their delivery vehicles and they basically saved the industry,” Richer said.
The state’s beloved brands
The potato chip industry sprouted up all across the state.
Want a barbecue chip? Grippos has been serving them up in Cincinnati for more than a century. Prefer your chips with some texture? Ballreich’s wavy chips in Tiffin have got you covered.
Many of them are family-owned and have been passed down for generations. There’s Gold'N Krisp in Massillon, Conn’s in Zanesville and Jones’ Potato Chip Company in Mansfield.
The last one is named for the family of owner Bob Jones. He’s preparing to pass on his business to his son, who will be the company’s fourth generation chipmaker.
“It’s been a fun business to be a part of,” Jones said. “It is amazing how happy you can make someone by giving them a 25 cent bag of chips. People don’t get excited like that if you make screwdrivers or wrenches. But people are excited to get a little bag of chips.”
Chipping away
Even so, Ohio’s beloved regional brands have thinned out a bit in recent years.
Mikesells in Dayton was the longest continually run potato chip company until they sold off their licensing in 2023. And Grippos acquired Ballreich Snack Food Company that same year.
But chippers like LaGuardia are confident that the companies that make the state a top crisp contender will continue to find their fanbase.
“People are very dedicated to their potato chips. The consumer for potato chips is very brand loyal. So if they find a potato chip that they like, they'll really stick with it,” LaGuardia said.
