For my friends here on the West Coast, UTZ brand snacks probably don’t mean anything to you. But there are TWO brands of potato chips that I have held close to my heart, Jay’s (Midwest) and Utz. Well today Snyder of Hanover has announced the acquisition of Utz.

Utz was started in 1921 by William and Salie Utz making their potato chips in their Hanover, PA home. Working hard and establishing a distribution in Hanover and Baltimore, they quickly grew across the entire East Coast. In addition to a full line of potato chips, they also made a successful line of Kettle, Homestyle as well as Baked and Organic lines.

“We’ll be playing on the strengths of both companies as we move forward,” said Mike Rice, Utz Quality Foods Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our two companies have a lot of similarities: we are both privately held, family owned and operated businesses, and we have tremendous community involvement and support local initiatives for the betterment of our community. The Rice family is excited to be an important part of the new merged entity and to partner with the Snyder’s team to create an innovative company focused on growth.”

At this point, there are no anticipated job loss projections as a result of the merger. With the diversity of both brands, they should be able to continue expanding into a larger marketplace. I, for one, would LUV to see UTZ out here in California!

Dylan Lissette, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Utz Quality Foods, Inc. commented that “The Utz management team will continue after the acquisition and we are looking forward to working with Snyder’s of Hanover, in combining our strengths in product lines, brands, and in our now stronger national distribution systems. We’ll be able to expand our product reach and we’re confident that new consumers, both domestic and international, will embrace the Utz brands.”

Synders of Hanover was founded in 1909. They are best known for their line of Pretzels and well as the owner of the “Jay’s” potato chip line.

The merger is pending FTC approval.