Real Crisps (often stylized as REAL Crisps) is a crisp (
potato chip
A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...
) brand. The company was founded in 1997, and expanded over the following decade to become a business turning over £15 million a year. In 2007, it was purchased by the Northern Ireland-based crisp manufacturer
Tayto. In 2012, a fire caused the destruction of the Real Crisp factory in
Crumlin, Caerphilly. There are a range of flavours produced, and the company ran a limited edition political themed range prior to the
2010 United Kingdom general election
The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom und ...
.
History
Real Crisps was founded in 1997, with the intention of manufacturing hand-cooked
potato chip
A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...
(crisps) for independent retailers and
pubs. After a financial investment in 1999, the company changed its name to become Sirhowy Valley Foods, while maintaining Real Crisps as the brand name of the lead product.
In August 2005, Real Crisps moved into a new factory in
Crumlin, Caerphilly. The new factory, measuring , increased the production capacity by 50 percent. This enabled the 90 staff to produce 37,000 cases of crisps per week. The move was due to demand outstripping the ability to supply at the previous location in
Cwmfelinfach. At this point, Real Crisps were the second biggest company behind
Kettle Foods
Kettle Foods, Inc. is an American manufacturer of potato chips, based in Salem, Oregon, United States, with a European and Middle East headquarters in Norwich, United Kingdom. As of 2006 they were the largest natural potato chip brand in the U.S. ...
in the hand-cooked crisp market within the UK. It had seen turnover increase from £1.3 million in 2001/2 to £5.3 million during 2003/4.
The Northern Ireland-based crisp manufacturer
Tayto purchased Sirhowy Valley Foods in 2007. Contracts had been arranged with British supermarket chains
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...
,
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
and
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
, taking the turnover of the company to £15 million in a year. Following this, and Tayto's acquisition of
Golden Wonder
Golden Wonder is a British company that manufactures snack foods, most notably crisps. These include Ringos, Golden Wonder and Transform-A-Snack. Since 2006, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Northern Irish company Tayto, after bei ...
previously, they became the third biggest crisp manufacturer in the UK.
[ That same year, Real Crisps began to export to France.
]
2012 factory fire
In September 2012, employee Colin Goulding flicked a lit cigarette inside the Real Crisps factory building in Crumlin. This ignited the of cooking oil stored in the building. The 20 staff, including both Goulding's parents, inside were evacuated by 60 firefighters who fought the blaze. The factory was rendered unusable. Staff were offered jobs at Tayto factories in Ireland and England, but few were able to take up those posts and so around 80 jobs were lost as a result of the fire. Goulding was charged with arson, and pleaded guilty. At Cardiff Crown Court
Cardiff Crown Court ( cy, Llys y Goron Caerdydd) is a historic building situated in Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. The building is a Grade I listed building. As a Crown Court venue it is part of the Wales Circuit of Her Majesty's Courts Serv ...
in January 2014, he was sentenced to six years and three months in custody. At sentencing, it was revealed that Goulding had the mental capacity of a 14-year old, and the sentencing judge accepted that he had not meant to cause the fire.
Products
Regular flavours include Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Strong Cheese & Onion, Roast Ox and Jalapeño Pepper. The packets use a frosted greaseproof material, and feature jokes in the design such as the phrase "We don't cut corners. If you find a corner in your packet, let us know." Each flavour has a different character on the bag; for example the Strong Cheese and Spring Onion flavour has a rugby player on the bag.
In the run up to the 2010 United Kingdom general election
The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom und ...
, limited edition versions of Sea Salted flavour Real Crisps were released in the colours of the Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, Labour Party, and Liberal Democrats. The idea was that supporters of each party would only buy the relevant coloured bags, giving an impression of the number of voters for each party. However, this caused an outcry from Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
supporters as they were not represented.
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Real Crisps
Food and drink companies of Wales
British snack foods
Brand name potato chips and crisps
Snack food manufacturers of the United Kingdom
1997 in Wales