The History of Wise Potato Chips

In 1921, grocer Earl Wise, Sr. found himself with a surplus of potatoes. Frugal and enterprising, he decided to use them to make potato chips. He did all of the work manually and sold his chips at his store, packaged in brown paper bags. They were a hit, and the following year, he purchased a delivery truck for his chip business. Then in 1925, he opened his first potato chip plant. After it was destroyed by a fire in the 1940s, a new production facility was built and Wise Potato Chips continued on. The brand’s famous eye logo was created in the 1950s, and in 1955, Wise launched Ridgies, a line of ridged potato chips. Cheez Doodles debuted in 1964 and in 1968, the company was renamed from Wise Potato Chips to Wise Foods Inc. to better reflect its diverse snack offerings. Wise Onion Rings debuted in 1969, followed by Dipsy Doodles in 1975 and Wise Kettle Cooked Chips in 1985. Bravos launched the following year, and in the 1990s, the company rolled out a line of dips. The packaging of Wise Potato Chips was redesigned in 2015, and that same year, a reduced-fat version of Wise Kettle Cooked was released. Cinnabon-flavored Wise Popcorn hit store shelves in 2015 as well, and in 2021, the company celebrated its 100-year anniversary. Several limited-edition flavors of Wise Potato Chips were released that year, including Black Truffle and Southern Peach Habanero. Today, Wise Potato Chips remain a popular snack all across America.