Popchips

History

Keith Belling is a co-founder and CEO of Popchips which was created in 2007. Belling teamed up with Patrick Turpin, and created a new popped chip. The company created a chip that utilizes potato and corn products that are cooked at a high pressure and temperature. Turpin co-founded Popchips, Inc., and serves as its President.

In November, 2015 David Ritterbush was named CEO of the company, replacing Paul Davis.

Recognition

The company was rated by Forbes as among America's top 20 most promising companies in 2011. Forbes also reported that investors in the company included Ashton Kutcher, David Ortiz, Jillian Michaels, and Sean Combs.

Ashton Kutcher controversy

Popchips received widespread criticism for their May 2012 video ad campaign featuring actor Ashton Kutcher. The campaign featured Kutcher as an Indian man 'looking for love' in a dating ad-style spoof. Kutcher's use of brown-face make up and a stereotypical Indian accent was deemed racially insensitive and offensive and received backlash from online viewers and members of the Indian-American community. The video was pulled and a spokesperson for Popchips stated that the dating parody was "created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone".

Celebrities

Ashton Kutcher was the first celebrity to endorse the company, with 13 million followers on Twitter. Kutcher boosted the publicity of Popchips. In 2012, Popchips also gained another celebrity endorser, Katy Perry. Since 2012, Perry featured in advertisements and also helped to launch her own flavour of Popchips, Katy's Kettle Corn.

Awards

Since 2007, Popchips has won the following awards:

• Best Crispy Snack for Kids - IVillage
• Best Snack - Shape (magazine)
• Best Potato Chip - Men's Health (magazine)
• Outstanding Snack - sofi Awards
• Best Chips - Real Simple (magazine)
• Best Chips Under 100 Calories - Eat This, Not That (magazine) One of the 8 Most Addicting Foods - Yahoo! Shine
• Best Low Calorie Snack - Good Housekeeping (magazine)
• Best Chips - Slash Food
• Best Crunchy Snack - Fitness (magazine)
• #1 Potato Chip - Kiwi (magazine)
• Best Chips - Health (magazine)

Distribution

Popchips provides its snack through a network of retail stores including Target, Safeway, and Walgreens in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland and also online.

Products

Popchips are produced in a number of flavors in addition to the original flavor:

Potato

• Sea Salt
• Sour Cream & Onion
• Barbeque
• Sea Salt & Vinegar
• Thai Sweet Chilli
• Mature Cheddar & Onion Potato Ridges
• Crazy Hot
• Buffalo Ranch
• Cheddar and Sour Cream

Nutritional Information

• A share size bag of potato popchips (3 oz.) contain 120 calories per serving size (1 oz.).
• A share size bag of tortilla popchips (3.5 oz.) contain 120 calories per serving size (1 oz.).
• A share size bag of Katy's Kettle Corn popchips (3.5 oz.) contain 130 calories per serving size (1 oz.).

References

References

1. "How Popchips Are Made, Why They're So Popular".
2. "Our Story". Popchips.
3. Eats, Serious. "How Popchips Are Made, Why They're So Popular".
4. "Popchips names new c.e.o.".
5. (30 November 2011). "#4 Popchips". [[Forbes.
6. Hayden, Erik. "Pop Chips Pulls Offensive Ashton Kutcher Ad". Time.
7. "I'm still waiting for Ashton Kutcher's apology - CNN.com".
8. (2012-05-03). "Ashton Kutcher 'racist' advert dropped".
9. Casserly, Meghan. "Popchips: The Next $1 Billion Snack Food Or Just Full Of Hot Air?". Forbes.
10. Mullen, Katelyn. (25 July 2012). "Katy Perry Popchips: Singer Signs On For Latest Celebrity Endorsement". Huffington Post.
11. "Awards". PopChips.
12. Greenwald, David. "Katy Perry Announces Her Own Popchips Flavor". Billboard.
13. "Popchips".
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15. "Popchips".