Tyrrells is a British manufacturer of potato crisps owned by

KP Snacks KP Snacks is a British producer of branded and own-label maize-, potato-, and nut-based snacks, "Choc Dips" and nuts. The ''KP'' stands for “Kenyon Produce”. The company is based in Slough, England, UK. History The company was founded in ...

History

Tyrrells was founded in

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, in 2002 by farmer and entrepreneur William Chase. Within several years of its creation, Tyrrells expanded its market into Europe and later into the U.S. Tyrrells has received numerous awards for the taste and quality of its crisps, both in England, as well as internationally. In April 2008, Chase sold a majority stake for £40 million to

Langholm Capital Langholm Capital is a London-based private equity firm. Langholm Capital was founded in 2002, and is based at 2nd Floor, 17 Waterloo Place, London. Their investments have included Bart Spices, Dorset Cereals, Lumene, and Tyrrells. In July 2 ...

. Chase had a long running dispute with

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British 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 and the ninth-largest in th ...

over stocking his potatoes, and so refused to sell them any supplies of Tyrrells. He said that his previous farming business had collapsed when "the large supermarkets, led by Tesco, began sourcing produce from overseas to push down costs." After Langholm took over, they dropped the existing distribution chain, and focused on large supermarkets including Tesco; they then dropped Chase as a supplier of potatoes when they "found they could get them cheaper elsewhere". Chase used the money from the sale of his stake in Tyrrells to start production of Chase Vodka, again using his own farmed potatoes. In July 2013, the firm was sold for £100 million to Investcorp, a

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

-based luxury brands investor. In 2015, Tyrrells acquired Yarra Valley Snack Foods, based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, where it now manufactures products for the Australian market. In August 2016, US-based Amplify Snacks, maker of Skinny Pop popcorn, bought Tyrrells from Investcorp for £300 million. David Milner, Tyrrells' chief executive, said: "As a small, UK farm-based business it is a tremendous achievement to be now part of a US publicly traded company with the international reach to make Tyrrells a global brand." The company will continue to be based in Herefordshire. Amplify Snacks was subsequently acquired by

The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

. In May 2018, KP Snacks acquired Tyrrells.

Products

Tyrrells produces a number of different types of crisps, popcorn and tortilla. they produce 25 flavours of potato and vegetable crisps. In 2010,

Perry Haydn Taylor Perry Haydn Taylor (born 1966) is an English creative director, designer and entrepreneur, who lives in Somerset and works in London. He is the founder and "chief stoker" of Big Fish Design, a brand, design and marketing consultancy. Career Hayd ...

"chief stoker" of agency, Big Fish Design, began work on branding and marketing Tyrrells, creating the "quintessentially English" identity of the product.

References

Food manufacturers of England Food and drink companies established in 2002 Brand name potato chips and crisps British snack foods 2002 establishments in England Companies based in Herefordshire Snack food manufacturers of the United Kingdom {{england-company-stub