When I was little there was a small grocery store around the
corner from our house. My grandma, we called her Mimi, my sister and I would
walk down the street to get some snacks. The one thing Mimi would always insist
on getting was a bag of Ballreich’s. These potato chips are the best thing on
the planet! They are always wavy and always salty and greasy, they are not the
kind of thing you would eat on a diet.
Ballreich’s Brother’s Inc. began in 1920 in the garage of
Fred and Ethel Ballreich. They cooked potato chips in a large kettle pot over a
wood fire. It didn’t take long for their small business to take off. Carl and
Fred Ballreich grew the business into Ballreich Brother’s Potato chips while
Ethel and Emma, Carl’s wife, were peeling, cooking, and packaged the chips in their
homes on Ohio Avenue in Tiffin, Ohio. Now they have become a fully modern
family owned business.
Since 1920 the company has grown into one of the staples of
Northwest Ohio life. Ballreich’s are only sold in the area around Tiffin, Ohio.
Unfortunatly my sister and I are not in the area anymore, so we both crave Ballreich’s
every once in a while. My Aunts who live in Arlington, about 20 minutes south
of Findlay, are only able to buy Ballreich’s in a box of 4 bags. These chips
are so popular that the store does not even bother to stock single bags of
chips. Especially around the holidays, no gathering is complete without a bag
of Ballreich’s chips in the house.
It’s interesting how something as simple as a potato chip
can become such an important part of local history. Everyone in the area knows
about Ballriech’s. Ballreich’s Brother’s Inc. is an institution in our area and
we hold all other chips to their standard. In their 95 years of business this
company has come from a kettle pot in a garage to an important part of our local
heritage. Maybe Mom will mail me a box?
All information gathered from: http://www.ballreich.com/shop/ourhistory.html
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