Ballreich

In 1920 in Tiffin, Ohio, Fred and Ethel Ballreich started their homemade potato chip operation on a dirt floor garage using a copper kettle heated with wood scraps. They were able to produce 14 pounds per day of the famous marcelled (meaning wavy) potato chips, which was taken from the popular ladies wavy hairstyle of the 1920s. Producing only the... highest quality potato chips, this small business created large demand that called for additional assistance. Carl Ballreich, Freds brother, left the Chevrolet Motor plant in Flint, Michigan, and joined forces along with his wife, Emma. Both couples continued to grow the business, living side by side on Ohio Avenue, and then eventually they built a small factory behind their homes. After WWII, Freds sons, Doyle and Nevin, along with Carls sons, Owen and Don, and his son-in-law, Robert Reis, joined the business. It was at this time that the plant was incorporated into Ballreich Bros., Inc. Their continued growth called for additional equipment. Sacking machines were added to increase productivity up to 450lbs per day; a new warehouse was built in Defiance, Ohio to better serve that part of the state, an automatic slicer, salter, hopper filler and kettle were installed, and liquid shortening was introduced to replace the solid form. In the 1960s, a hydraulic lift was added and an additional warehouse was built onto the building for added storage. Production began heat-sealing bags of potato chips to better preserve their freshness and speed up the chip making process. As old equipment was replaced, they were able to produce 2,000lbs of potato chips each hour! As the business continued to grow, additional potato chip flavors were introduced and in the 1990s, and the snack line expanded to include party mix, pretzel sticks, pretzel rings, pretzel rods, pork rinds, tortilla chips, cheese popcorn, caramel popcorn with nuts, and triple mix popcorn.Read More