Courtesy Photo A field of potatoes is seen in this undated courtesy photo.

Potato growing is a multi-million dollar agri-business across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, including northeastern Michigan, and into the far western Upper Peninsula.

An amazing statistic from Zeke Jennings, a spokesperson with the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, is across the nation, one in four potato chip bags produced in America are filled with Michigan potatoes.

“Seventy percent of Michigan’s 1.9-billion-pound potato harvest goes to the chip industry,” he said. “The remaining 30 percent are directed to grocers as fresh, canned, or frozen potatoes and used as seedlings.”

Jennings revealed across the state, annual potato fields can cover up to 50,000 acres.

Recent Michigan State University and Michigan Potato Industry Commission research documents note the Michigan potato sector contributes $2.53 billion to the state’s annual economy through all the industries it supports. In addition, the potato industry supports 21,700 in-state jobs.

Jennings added, “Michigan’s potato crop, which is about 1.9 billion pounds a year, is worth more than $246 million to growers. Michigan ranks eighth among U.S. states in total production, but ranks sixth in sales, which shows the premium price Michigan-grown potatoes command in the marketplace.”

AMERICA’S POTATO CHIP HISTORY

A 2022 Smithsonian Magazine potato chip feature story states the crunchy delicacy was already known in the United Kingdom. However, America’s development goes back to 1853 in Saratoga, N.Y.

The story states George Crum, of Native and African American heritage, was employed at Moon’s Lake House resort and restaurant.

Railroad and shipping industrialist, Cornelius Vanderbilt, ordered potatoes for dining at the establishment. When served the spuds, he disliked them and returned his plate to the kitchen. Crum, then thinly sliced and fried the potatoes to a crisp.

The millionaire was overjoyed and so became the birth of what was first known as Saratoga Chips.

A historical account reveals that in 1895 William Tappenden of Cleveland, Ohio, found a technique to manufacture and stock grocery shelves with chips. Author Dirk Burhans of “Crunch! A History of the Great American Potato Chip” theorizes across the nation’s East Coast many entrepreneurs also found a way to enter retail distribution versus just serving within restaurants.

In years to follow, across America, hundreds of local chip manufacturers sprung up like a fall cornfield.

Jennings commented, “During the early portion of the twentieth century Detroit was home to nearly two dozen chip companies.”

In 1961, Lay’s became America’s first nationally distributed brand.

In recent decades, potato-based snack foods have come and gone from grocer’s shelves. In part, these products included Tater Twists, Chipsters, Krunchers, and Crisp-i-Taters.

The trade association Potatoes USA cited that in 2023 chip retail sales were at an amazing $8.44 billion.

WHY ARE MICHIGAN SPUDS POPULAR WITH CHIP

COMPANIES?

Jennings offers a detailed explanation stating, “It’s a combination of quality and location. Michigan’s climate has proven very conducive to growing high-quality chip potatoes. Chip potatoes are round white potatoes that are bred to have characteristics that make for great chips when thinly sliced and fried. They have the shape, appearance, density, and sugar content to hold up during frying and not burn. ”

He added, “During the 1980s, the Snowden chip variety, which has longer storage capacity than some of the other chipping potatoes enabled Michigan growers to expand their chip potato capabilities. Chip producers in the Eastern U.S. (Pennsylvania is a hotbed of snack food production) traditionally sourced potatoes from many areas of the country. At the same time, russet processors, which make frozen fries, tater tots, and hashbrowns, were consolidating their production and sourcing to the Pacific Northwest. Michigan’s proximity to the East Coast made it a natural fit to expand chip potato production.”

RESEARCH AND GROWING POTATOES

Justin Whitmore, a spokesperson with Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Nature Resources, offered detailed insight into the college’s engagement with the potato industry.

Whitmore revealed the college’s scientists operate extensive research and outreach programs with support from MSU AgBioResearch. The college’s faculty is nationally recognized for potato breeding addressing fungus and insect infestation. They work with the potato industry in collaboration with MSU Extension, to ensure essential and novel information is accessible to all Michigan stakeholders.

Recently developed by MSU professors David Douches, Jiming Jiang, and associates is the Ka191.3 potato.

A June MSU press release stated, “The Kal91.3 potato is bred from an MSU potato variety named Kalkaska. The newly developed potato can be stored in cool temperatures for long periods of time without sucrose, the compound that sugar is typically stored in potatoes as, converting into reducing sugars such as fructose and glucose. Without as many reducing sugars, off-color browning and caramelization can be minimized in the Kal91.3 potato, leading to healthier and higher-quality products, including potato chips.”

The release added, “The Kal91.3 potato can also reduce the environmental impact of the growing process without as many fertilizers and pesticides needed to maintain the potato during storage.”

FLAVORED AND

COLORED POTATO CHIPS

On chip flavoring, Jennings said, “Flavored potato chips first appeared in the mid-20th century. Flavors, like barbecue or sour cream and onion, were the industry’s way of trying to meet changing consumer flavor desires. We’ve seen all sorts of flavors and styles of chips come, and some have gone, over the years.”

He continued, “There’s no shortage of willingness to experiment within the chip industry. For example, shrimp-flavored potato chips? Yes, they exist!”

Jennings added the spuds can be used to make shoestring potatoes and crisps (such as Pringles).

This summer, Detroit-based Better Made Potato Chips introduced a new style of kettle-style chips. The 2.8-ounce bag will offer the original chip, as well as Zesty, Jalapeno, and Sweet Maui Onion flavors.

Douches (fondly known as the potato professor) and his associates have conducted research developing well over two dozen new potato varieties.

One of the new hybrids created was the purple potato known as the Blackberry. In cooperation with Traverse City-based Great Lakes Potato Chip Company, for their 10th anniversary, they developed and sold deep purple chips from these specialty spuds.

Douches revealed during the Blackberry’s early development President Barack Obama and his Secret Service team enjoyed a preliminary run of the kettle-cooked chips.

He stated, “They were a hit with Obama.”

OTHER UNIQUE PRODUCTS MICHIGAN SPUDS PRODUCE

What do you do with leftover residue from chip manufacturing?

The Michigan Potato Industry Commission and Better Made Potato Chips jointly revealed that potato starch, the chip-making remnant, is used for baking as a thickening agent. The starch is also used as a food coating, such as for fried potatoes. In addition, the leftover scraps can be blended into cattle feed.

Finally, the residue is used by a number of distilleries in making popular potato vodka.

Ready to celebrate America’s potato chips?

Break out your favorite brand and flavor every March 14 for National Potato Chip Day and munch away.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers and magazines. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.

POTATO CHIPS FAST FACTS

∫ Annually, Americans consume about 1.86 billion pounds of chips or around 6.6 pounds per person.

∫ Barbeque chips were the first type of flavored potato chip.

∫ The most popular potato chip flavor in America is plain, followed by barbeque, and then sour cream and onion.

∫ Laura Scudder created the first modern bag of potato chips in 1953. Previously, they were sold out of wooden barrels or scooped from behind glass counters.

∫ Potato chip bags are not full of air. Rather, they are filled with nitrogen gas. The nitrogen prevents the chips from oxidizing or turning stale.

∫ Lay’s was the first successfully marketed national brand of potato chip.

∫ Making 2,500 pounds of potato chips requires 10,000 pounds of potatoes.

∫ Pennsylvania is known as the “Potato Chip Capital” of the world and leads the United States in potato chip production.

∫ Pringles are not potato chips. A high court ruled that because Pringles are made from dough, they are more like a biscuit or cake.

∫ Women are typically bigger snackers than men. Among all genders, preferred snack foods include fresh fruit, chocolate, potato chips, cookies, and yogurt.

Source: Information obtained from – Facts about Potato Chips | FactRetriever

MICHIGAN POTATO CHIP

MANUFACTURERS

∫ Downey – Established 1984, Waterford, www.downeypotaochips.com

∫ Great Lakes – Established 2009, Traverse City, www.greatlakespotatochips.com

∫ Better Made – Established 1930, Detroit, www.bettermade.com

∫ Uncle Rays – Established 1996, Detroit, www.unclerays.com

∫ Wine Chips – Established 2017, Paw Paw, www.winechips.com