Fritos corn chips

Fritos are an iconic American snack brand specializing in deep-fried extruded corn chips. The brand traces its origins back to 1932 during the Great Depression when Charles Elmer Doolin purchased a corn chip recipe, a handheld potato ricer, and nineteen retail accounts from a Mexican cook in San Antonio, Texas, for just $100. Doolin began manufacturing the chips in his mother's kitchen, eventually founding the Frito Company.

In 1961, the Frito Company merged with H.W. Lay & Company to form Frito-Lay, Inc., creating a snack food powerhouse. Just a few years later, in 1965, Frito-Lay merged with the Pepsi-Cola Company to form PepsiCo, Inc. Since then, Fritos has operated as a key brand within the Frito-Lay North America division. Today, while primarily manufactured in numerous plants across the United States—including facilities in Texas, Arizona, and Georgia—the brand is part of a global distribution network under its parent company's expansive snack portfolio.