Smiths Crisps
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| Proprietary company | |
| Industry | Snackfood |
| Founded |
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| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia |
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Area served
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Australia, United Kingdom |
| Products | Snackfood Potato Chips |
| Owner | PepsiCo |
| Parent | PepsiCo. |
| Website | www |
The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian manufacturing company best known for its potato crisps. It is owned by the American multinational corporation, PepsiCo. The company produces and markets various snack foods. Smith's Snackvend Stand is the branch of the company that operates vending machines.
Smith's Potato Crisps Ltd. was formed by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom after World War I. The firm started in Cricklewood, London, reputedly in Smith's garage. In 1927, after buying Jim Viney's share of the business, the company expanded into a factory in Brentford, London, which was enlarged in 1930. During the depression, Smith travelled to Australia to expand the business. The company nearly went under during this time and had to be propped back up by a small number of visitors and investors. The company bounced back and expanded its brands, aided with the help of advancing technology. Smiths was later owned by biscuit company Nabisco, BSN and finally sold to American company PepsiCo in the 1990s. Subsequently, Pepsico withdrew the brand, in favour of popular British brand Walkers, which had been heavily marketed in a campaign using ex-footballer turned television presenter Gary Lineker. Many of the products previously owned by Smith's became labelled as Walkers, although there are still several Smith's branded crisps sold by Walkers, mainly ones sold at a budget price such as Snaps (originally sold by Walkers), Wafflers and Twisted.
After establishing the product and name in the UK, Frank Smith moved to Australia to set up the business there. Smith's Crisps were first manufactured in Australia in 1931 with an associate, George Ensor, in leased premises in Sydney's Surry Hills. They were originally made in 20 gas fired cooking pots, then packed by hand and distributed by Nestle confectionery vans.
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