Did you come up with a better potato chip, but haven’t found the right name for your startup brand? We’ve organized a list of suggestions that will help think outside the bag and put your brainstorm session into overdrive.
If you’re planning to start a potato chip company, you’re entering a mature industry. George Crum is credited with inventing the potato chip back in 1853 although the product was called potato crunches back then. But as you probably guessed, the industry has evolved since its humble beginnings.
The estimated value of the potato chip industry is well over $7 billion in annual sales with steady growth projections until 2025. Supermarkets represent over 75% of the industries total annual sales. Convenience stores like gas stations also represent a significant 15.3% of the annual revenue. Independent retailers makeup less than 10% of the total revenue according to industry reports.
As you can see from the data, if you plan to start a potato chip company getting into the large supermarket chains will be essential for success. This means a strong brand and eye-popping name will be critical to catch the attention and curiosity of customers rolling through the snack isle.
This post is designed to help you establish a potato chip brand that’s setup for success. If you’re starting a snack food brand, don’t forget to check out our training on creating a sell sheet. This tool will help you capture the attention of grocery buyers and is the first step to getting on store shelves. All that being said, let’s get started.
Artisan Potato Chip Name Ideas
Chips are a convenient side that can be paired with almost any meal in the United States.
A proven way to uniquely position your food product is to offer something of premium quality. When competing in the potato chip isle this approach works well. Nationally recognized brands like Lay’s or Doritos are quality mass market products, but they aren’t positioned as a gourmet food. Here are a few name suggestions that will elevate the perceived value of your snack.
- Small Batch Potato Co.
- Spud Farmer
- Organic Potato Company
- Grandma Gertrude’s Kettle Chips
- No BS Bag Potato
- Premium Spud Co.
- All-Natural Taters Collective
- The Superb Spud
- Top Notch Potato Group
- Chef’s Choice Potato LLC
- First-Class Potato Chips
- Momma’s Taters
- Irish Harvest Potato
- Ned’s Tiny Potato
- The Sweet Potato
- Little Farm Potato Chips
- The Red Potato Factory
- New Age Potato Chips
- Murphy Brand Potato Chips
- The Natural Potato Seed
- The Handcrafted Potato
- Handpicked Potato Company
- Single Source Snack Group
- Simple Potato Company
- Patato’s Make Me Happy
- Hand-Cut Ridges
Funny Potato Chip Name Ideas
Humor can be a great way to stand out on a store shelf. But people also need to understand the joke, not be offended, and find the snack appealing to eat. It will be no easy task to attain each of those requirements. With that being said, here are a few ideas that will stop shoppers in their tracks and encourage a second look.
- The Interesting Potato
- Keep Your Eye’s Peeled Potato Co.
- Darth Tater
- All of a Spuden
- The Chip Ship
- The Spec-tater Chip Group
- Going Down with the Chip!
- Too Hip to Dip Chips
- No Mash Potato Chips
- Blind Bag Potato Chips
- Best Spuddies
- Right Wing Ridges
Flavor Name Ideas
An ode to the classic potato chip.
Potato chips are an incredible delivery tool for different flavors. Sometimes innovating on flavor is all you’ll need to differentiate your chip from all the other boring bags. One tried and true approach to discovering new food flavors is to take a concept that’s popular in another part of the world and apply it to the potato chip. Here are a few ideas using this process.
As you can see there’s almost no flavor that can’t be applied to the potato chip. In fact, many of the big brand like Pringles you’re familiar with in the United States have all sorts of flavors sold internationally in countries like Thailand or Japan that aren’t available here.
- Cilantro Crisps
- Butter Chicken Potato Chips
- Curry Chips
- Potato Chip Trail Mix
- Pumpkin Spice Chips (Great seasonal flavor to try!)
- Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
- Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips
- Cheesey Chips
- Bacon & Potato
- Wasabi Ginger Flavor
- Roasted Turkey
- Butter Garlic Flavor
- Peking Duck Flavor – Pringles has put out this flavor.
- Cinnamon and Sugar Potato Crispers
- Cocktail Chompers
- Sloppy Joe Chips
- Octopus Flavored Chips – These really do exist in Japan!
- Ketchup Flavored Chips
- Grilled Cheese Flavor
- Seaweed Flavored Chips – This may sound a little weird in the United States, but the snack maker Pringles sells this flavor in Thailand.
Related Reading: 25-Step Plan to Make Your Food Company a Reality
Regional Name Suggestions
Consumer behavior has changed over the past 20 years. One of the biggest shifts that have come out of this change is more people want to purchase locally sourced products. A product that’s produced and manufactured locally is often perceived as healthier, small batch, and supports the local economy. Shopping this way keeps more dollars circulating in the same city.
Building a brand name around your location can help you sell more bags of chips as well. By attaching a city, state, or well-recognized landmark name to a brand, prospective customers will associate your brand with something they already know. This association peak customers interest and makes it easier to win over advocates for your new brand.
- California Potato Chip Company
- Minnesota Spud Co.
- Iowa Potato Corporation
- Des Moines Delights
- Red Mountain Potato Factory
- Charles Lake Spud Co.
- Open Range Potato Chips
- Denver Potato Group
- New York Style Potato Wedges
- Wisconsin Wedges
- Chicago Spuds
- Winnipeg Salt and Vinegar Wedges
- Vermont Spuds LLC
- Rockland Ridges
Start The Brainstorming Session
This segment is growing in international markets like Japan and in the United States.
Now that you’ve got a handle on basic strategies for naming a food business, it’s time to come up with your own. You can utilize any approach listed above to get started.
Keep in mind that developing a brand will often be a multi-day if not multi-month process. Some people get a lighting bolt of inspiration and know their brand name right away.
Most need to brainstorm, jot down ideas, and seek feedback before making a final decision. Both approaches can work. But don’t feel rushed to make a descision too quickly.
After all, this is your brand we are talking about here. The business name and brand vision you choose is going to play a role in where you’ll sell, who your customer is, and sales of the product. No pressure, but this is one of the most important business decisions you’ll make!
The Ideation Process
One of the best ways to begin to go through the process of identifying a brand name is to document your ideas. Â A few simple ways to accomplish this are using the Notes app on your iPhone, keeping a audio file with ideas, or opening up a Google Docs spreadsheet.
Add three or four ideas per day and you’ll have a strong list to review at the end of the week. Repeat this process each week until you identify a brand you feel confident about longterm. You’ve got this!
After identifying a brand, it’s time for the real fun to begin: making plans to open the business. As a next step, I recommend reading our guide on the 25-Step Plan to Starting a Food Company. This guides you through each one of the key steps needed to start a packaged food business, including package design, creating a marketing plan, and getting product into retail.
