Utz to discontinue century-old Husman’s snacks
Utz acquired the Cincinnati-based snack producer in 2019.
Husman’s Snack Foods Co. was founded in 1919 (formerly Husman Potato Products Co.) by 24-year-old Harry Husman, who started making potato chips at home.
Husman would hoist sacks of potatoes to his second-floor ‘Sunlit Kitchen’ by attaching a rope to the bumper of his car. The potatoes were then hand-cut into chips and fried in big kettles.
The brand is known for its signature jingle – “When the chips are down, be sure they’re Husman’s, Husman’s potato chips!”.
Today, Husman’s snack portfolio also includes cheese snacks, pretzels and popcorn.
The brand has had various manufacturers over the years, the newest being the Pennsylvania snacking giant, which acquired the brand just two years ago.
According to an Utz spokesperson, the Husman’s brand has been steadily declining “in what is an extremely competitive snack food category. After considering retailer feedback and consumer demand, we recently made the difficult decision to discontinue the Husman’s brand.
“Notably, this decision has no impact on our workforce; in fact, we have added positions and plan to add even more as we begin producing new products and introduce other snack brands to our Berlin factory in February 2021.
“While we understand the disappointment of Husman’s brand fans, we hope that they will enjoy our many other high-quality snack food brands, such as Snyder of Berlin and Zapp’s snacks.”
