MANSFIELD – Those curious about how their favorite local snack food is made got a peek behind the scenes on Thursday morning at Jones’ Potato Chips.
The Business Before Hours event was hosted by the Regional Manufacturing Coalition. Approximately 30 visitors toured the company that won the Richland Area Chamber’s Small Business of the Year award.
“There’s nothing like the smell of warm potato chips first thing in the morning,” said Bob Jones, owner of Jones’ Chips.
Jones explained his business is in a transition period, moving away from frying chips in partially hydrogenated soy bean oil to trying alternate methods. The change has been met with some friction locally.
“The taste is not the same as the community expects,” Jones said. “There are 320 million Americans and almost all of them like the stuff we’re starting to make, the problem is here locally.”
Split into smaller groups, attendees of the Business Before Hours event were able to tour the Jones’ Chips factory. Some highlights of the tour included the giant fryer processing 2,500 pounds of chips per hour, and watching the chips as they are tested for salt, moisture and seasoning.
Ryan McAnelly, quality assurance manager at Jones’ Chips, said the company produces three types of chips – flat, wavy and potato stix. However, the marcelled wavy chips are still the favorite by far.
“We put out 150,000 bags of wavy chips in about a month and a half,” McAnelly said.
McAnelly also noted that Jones’ is in the process of testing chip recipes with corn oil and avocado oil to comply with new health regulations.
“We’re still in the process of figuring out what makes the best chip,” he said.
Many on the tour who have been eating Jones’ Chips most of their lives remarked that learning the process behind a simple bag of chips was fascinating.
“There’s a lot going on in a relatively small space,” said Phil Downs, president of MHS Industrial Supply. “With all the machinery and different mechanisms, it’s very interesting.”
Still, Jones was quick to point out that even a large production has the same basis of success as businesses of any size.
“All the things you folks do in your business to make you successful, it’s the same story,” Jones said.
