Hanover Twp., PA -
A potato chip production plant has opened in the Hanover Industrial Estates, adding to a growing cluster of food manufacturers in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Colonial Snacks, which makes Zapp's and Dirty Chips, recently opened on Stewart Road in a 40,000-square-foot building formerly owned by Kraft Foods. The plant supplies potato chips to delis throughout the Northeast and employs 15 people. More sanitation and production workers will be hired in the next few months, said plant manager Barry Wiggins, who led a tour of the plant on Friday.
The potato chips manufacturer Zappe Endeavors, based in Gramercy, La., also has a plant Premium Snacks in Oxnard, Calif. The company recently agreed to a partnership with Hanover-based Utz to help distribute its Dirty Chips to stores such as Sheetz, Turkey Hill and Wawa, Wiggins said.
At the Hanover Township plant, workers unload potatoes, which are cleaned, peeled and fried. The potatoes are then seasoned and packaged. The potato chips have grown in popularity along the East Coast, Wiggins said.
"We've been sending chips here for the last five years which we have been producing in Louisiana," Wiggins said. "You see our product in delis and little mom and pop stores. It's just been steadily growing and we decided to put a plant up here."
Zapp's is known for its unique flavors like Cajun Crawtator, Cajun Dill, Hotter n Hot Jalapeno and Crelo Tomato spiked with Tabasco and Voodoo.
"In Louisianna, the Zapp's level is the number two most recognized label," Wiggins said. "If you're in New Orleans, you walk into a grocery store, you will see Zapp's chips everywhere. Up here, it's just the delis, including Wegmans delis."
The company was founded in 1985 by the late Ron Zappe, who died June 1, 2009 of throat cancer at age 67. He turned a little chip factory into a national phenomenon. Zappe went into the snack food business after his four petroleum service companies went bankrupt during an oil price crash.
John Augustine, senior director of economic and entrepreneurial development for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, said he met Zappe at a conference in New Orleans and they instantly hit it off. Augustine called Zappe a "true entrepreneur."
"He was a great man to deal with and they have a fantastic product. It is one of the fast-growing potato chip lines in the country and they have extremely unique flavors," Augustine said. "They wanted to be in Northeastern Pennsylvania because of their proximity to large metro markets such as New Jersey and New York. They fell in love with the building. They've been very happy with the workforce here. We're certainly hopeful for their future expansion."
Colonia Snacks adds to a number of other food manufacturers throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania, including Nardone Brothers Baking Pizza Co. in the Hanover Industrial Estates, Bimbo Bakeries in Pittston and West Hazleton, House of Bricks in Wilkes-Barre, Two Chefs on a Roll in Scranton and Hershey and Tootsie Roll in the Hazleton area.
Although Colonial Snacks employs just 15 people initially, Augustine said, "We need to start somewhere to get manufacturing back in the region."
"It certainly helps to diversify the economy and bring back something that's struggled over the years," Augustine said. "We're starting to see an increase of a food cluster that cannot be easily off-shored. We're starting to get on the map of these major companies."
dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115
