Leonard, now in his 90s, was still going strong; his son Leonard Jr. was the new CEO; and grandson Leonard III was soon to become company president. © 2020 by Andrew Clayman. ''That's how it got started in 1940. When he was in the marines, he said, he would work at the company on his leaves. They used to elevate one end of the semi-trailer so the potatoes would empty out. Jun 23, 2014 - Former Jays Potato Chips factory at 99th & Cottage Grove. ''We wanted Jax, but it was taken by a brewing company. I worked hard. He got himself a new truck, loaded it with various chips, pretzels, and other goodies, and hit the pavement making sales. It was my favorite birthday meal (I was born in 1951) and my children loved it, too. 4.6 out of 5 stars 100. Did you used to make onion and garlic potato chips and sell them in a single serve bag?i think you did and they were the best. At that time, Jays was doing about $750,000 in business a year, only in the Chicago area. It’s my dad, Jack C. Williams, in the first picture with the chips on the hand cart. She kept telling us we had a fine product but we had to tell people how to use it. “We had our money in the Casper State Bank. “Jays: Undefeated and Still Champion of Chicagoland Market”, “Jays Founder Japp Wasn’t Always in the Chips”. Still miss the place by Matt B on December 5th, 2007 . Jays, which makes Jays and Krunchers! The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal™ is rated PG-13. Holocaust Memorial Statue Vandalized in Skokie, Il... National Peace Jubilee in Chicago, IL. From there, his adventures routinely drift into tall-tale territory, complete with an over-abundance of celebrity cameos. ''We make potato chips and popcorn for the first two shifts. Why did you stop making them? In 1927, Leonard Japp and his buddy George Gavora started their first food business, largely designed to cater to Chicago’s growing speakeasy underground and its rogue’s gallery of gangsters and flappers, all in need of smokes and something to nosh on. He launched the “Mrs. Management allowed us to take bags of chips to our families on Fridays. I, Jack M. Williams, his son, also worked for Jays in Kalamazoo MI and South Holland IL. The leading chipmaker at the time was Mrs. Klein's, Japp said. ''I had always worked at the plant at various jobs. I used to eat them all the time in the 70’s. $18.61 $ 18. In the 1960s, Jays switched from tin cans of potato chips to less expensive boxes. In 1927, Leonard Japp Sr. and friend, George Gavora was able to put $5 down on a rickety Ford delivery truck and buy $22.50 worth of pretzels, nuts, cigarettes, and what saloons needed for sandwiches. Healthy Snacks On The Run. We like to say that the place is clean enough to eat off the floor. By 1938, he’d formed a new partnership with a salesman from Kraft Foods, George Johnson, creating the Special Foods Co. Purely a distributor, the firm sold a wide assortment of edibles (including Rival brand dog food). By 1950, we were the top potato chip company in Chicago,'' Japp said. It burned my bangs, eyebrows, eyelashes and there was a distinct smell of burning hair in the air, but no real harm was done. Some surprising history of Jay's Potato Chips in Chicago. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As a teenager, Leonard hitched a ride on a train bound for Chicago, looking for the next buck. Jays factory to close Mike Hughlett, Tribune staff reporter CHICAGO TRIBUNE While the famous Jays brand should survive, the South Side factory that has churned out potato chips for … Only potato chips and popcorn are made at the South Side plant, at 825 E. 99th St. Simple theme. '', ''At food shows, people would write down their comments on our potato chips. Your email address will not be published. Nobody makes a decent one anymore. The Select Snacks plant is also expected to yield better-quality chips because of its relative newness; Jay’s Foods’ Chicago factory was built in the 1940s, Malkoski said. Since 1927, Jays products have been a Chicago favorite. And it's working, he said. Created with WordPress. ''When the war began, there were about 18 potato chips companies in Chicago. They are constantly developing new flavors to insure their potato chips and snack products continue to … 99th and Cottage Grove (563.80 mi) Chicago, Illinois 60628. Thanks so very much! Is is possible to share it with me? One television reporter did,'' Leonard Jr. said. Leading a lot of the spanish speaking women was a very fulfilling position. ''We make potato chips and popcorn for the first two shifts. Local Business. Former Jays Potato Chips factory at 99th & Cottage Grove (Chicago Pin of the Day, 1/14/2015). Price Range $. It’s basically just a word that (a) started with the letter J, (b) sounded like the already established “Lay’s” brand name, and (c) was “available.”, [An early 1940s Jays ad on a building touts the chips as being “Always Fresh, Crisp & Tasty!”]. 5307 S Hermitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60609. ''Mrs. Potato Chips, and a line of Hot Stuff snacks. ''Got an old vagabond truck. Thank you for keeping the memories of the original Jays.” –Kathy Whelan Daly, 2020, “The story about mr. Japp picking up coal along the railroad tracks to keep the family house warm and the other odd jobs is very representative of his Generations ability and willingness to busted huh to get whatever they need and not just expect things nor want a trophy for breathing like today’s generation could you even imagine chip or anybody coming out with a company that even inferred or inadvertently hurt somebody’s touchy feelings oh my god there be lawyers coming out of the sky and parachutes great company great product great man” –Samuel C., 2019, “I worked on the Jays Potato Chips ad account for over 10 years and visited the plant/office on 99th street frequently. But Japp and Johnson weren't happy with the way Mrs. Fletcher ran her plant. In 1944, Leonard Japp and George Johnson were still doing fairly well, but surveying the landscape, they decided there wasn’t enough room in Special Foods for the two of them. A tour of a modern potato chip plant. It seems when you’re poor, you have to fight twice as hard to prove yourself. At about this time, Jays came up with the slogan for which it is almost as famous as Schlitz was for ''The beer that made Milwaukee famous. But that keeps Jays' 400 employees there busy on three shifts a day. I didn’t know anything about potato chips.”, “We wrote our bids out on a piece of paper and agreed the higher one would win,”, “I wanted to bid $120,000, but my wife said that if we wanted to keep the company, we should bid $150,000. In an interview with a trade pub called Chipper Snacker in 1974, Japp said of his youthful days in Minnesota, “I was probably the meanest kid in town, as well as the poorest. But the bubble burst when the Great Depression struck in August of 1929. He had profit sharing plans for his employees and free daily lunches, and the factory itself was a regular stop for local school field trips (the kids all got free lunches, too). “We wanted ‘Jax,’” Japp said, “but it was taken by a brewing company. $8.90 $ 8. JAYS Sour N' Dill Potato Chips A Chicago Original 5 Pack 1.25oz bags. “She listened to their concerns and comments and always looked for new ways to stretch the food dollar.”. If you're from the Chicago area, you probably grew up eating Jay's Potato Chips. Since 1927, Jays products have been a Chicago hometown favorite. [1 ] Jays Foods was born again with the same commitment for quality snacks that has made them the Midwest’s premier snack manufacturer. Japp’s” brand of potato chip not in ’41, but in 1940, giving it ample time to establish a wide manufacturing base, grocer distribution, and local recognition BEFORE the war came to Hawaii. Who knows? We called it Mrs. Japp's. CHICAGO (AP) — Bankrupt potato-chip maker Jays Foods Inc. will close its plant on Chicago's South Side on Wednesday, putting 220 people out of work, the company said. But the result was that George Johnson was out, Special Foods was no more, and Jays Foods was born. The ones that didn't wheel and deal fell by the wayside,'' he said. Besides the Chicago plant, the firm has 14 distribution plants and 5 distributors in Illinois and parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. All these drinking establishments were in need of smokes and something to nosh on. If you give it a closer look, however, the familiar Jays logo—with its conspicuous lack of an apostrophe—raises some questions. The following spring, tragically, Leonard Japp III died of a heart attack at just 40, improbably leaving the company founder—now 96—as the last living Leonard Japp. Chicago Public Radio's Diantha Parker reports on the conclusion of a Chicago snack food legal showdown between the Lay's potato chip brand and local favorite brand Jays. If you had to pick the worst possible time in American history for a fellow named Leonard Japp to start a company under his own last name, you might be inclined to go with 1941; the year the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor instantly turned the J-word into the one-syllable ethnic slur du jour. (Salty snacks resulted in more beer sales.) Boy, I learned my lesson! “We got into that wrangle with the Japanese and the grocers started calling us immediately, asking us to get those chips out of their stores,” an elderly Mr. Japp recalled to the Chicago Tribune in 1985. When they went broke, everyone went broke with them.”. Jays was a really great place to work at. Former Jays Potato Chips factory, in Chicago, Illinois on AUGUST 22. Years ago, General Mills Inc. introduced Bugles and Whistles; Procter & Gamble Co. served up Pringles. Comments not on the article's topic will be deleted, along with advertisements. Mrs. Japp, who was a vice president when she died in 1983 at age 72, also was responsible for starting a practice that has been embraced by the food industry. I’ll never forget putting the dish into the oven, turning on the gas, going for the match, lighting the oven and poof! Over time, though, with potato chips again emerging as their best cash cow, Japp and Johnson decided they’d had enough of buying their goods from other manufacturers, and bought themselves an $18,000 automatic potato chip making machine. Shop for jays potato chips online at Target. Once the contents of a tin were consumed, many people kept the cylinders as waste baskets or storage bins, meaning plenty of them stayed in circulation even after boxed and bagged variations made the store-bought 1 LB tin obsolete. [Jays sponsored basketball schedule for St. Joseph the Worker Catholic School in Wheeling, IL, 1971], [Like Cracker Jack, Jays sometimes gave away collectibles in its bags], [Jays TV ad from 1987, when it was under the ownership of Borden, Inc.], “Jays: Undefeated and Still Champion of Chicagoland Market” – Chipper, 1974, “Potato Chip King: Man of the People” – Chicago Tribune, August 26, 2000, “Jays Founder Japp Wasn’t Always in the Chips” – Chicago Tribune, Nov. 25, 1985, “Leonard Japp,Sr. Lost Towns of Illinois - Grosse Pointe and Ridgevill, Illinois. Flushed with success and demand, Jays expanded throughout the 1950s. The brand name survives under the ownership of Snyder’s of Hanover, and remains easy to find in any local grocery. Don't be surprised if you CAN'T STOP EATING 'EM! Management allowed us to take bags of chips to our families on Fridays. Operating in several Midwestern states, Jays Foods' potato chips and popcorn maintain significant shares of their respective markets. In 1957, Japp's son, Leonard Jr., joined the firm after six years in the Marine Corps. $15.05 $ 15. There was always a chance to advance by their job postings. Only potato chips and popcorn are made at the South Side plant, at 825 E. 99th St. Jays Factory Closes. We'd buy up all the nylons and trade with those,'' he said. Leonard Japp money to start his business producing potato chips is. Judy Moisan Bokhart. In any case, by 1929, the Japp & Gavora Food Co. (which is generally cited today as the starting point of Jays Foods Inc.) had become a self-made success story, expanding from one food truck to fifteen. The slogan on the tin—“A Better Chip for the Better Trade”—was at least a step up from Jays’ other primary tagline: “Can’t Stop Eatin’ ‘Em” (another lazy ripoff of the Lay’s brand and its’ “Bet You Can’t Eat Just One”). Anyone else remember seeing that? At some point during or just after WWII, some family members changed their last name from Japp to Jepp. 61 ($0.62/Ounce) $5.99 shipping. Fortunately, Leonard Japp—the person—was considerably more interesting than his nomenclature skills. the store brands tasted horrible and I told my mom to only buy jays.” –Frank, 2017, I’d heard that my grandfather, Harry G. Moisan, was a part owner of Jays potato chips at one point early on. “He’d come in around 7 a.m. with his big old briefcase and walk the floor, and the floor had to be clean or he’d shut down production until it was clean.”. Jays Food, Inc. seemed in good hands for the 21st century. I wanted to bid $120,000, but. When we turned over the bids, George had bid $145,000.”, “Eugenia had great compassion for women who cooked for large families,”, “She listened to their concerns and comments and always looked for new ways to stretch the food dollar.”, “The story about mr. Japp picking up coal along the railroad tracks to keep the family house warm and the other odd jobs is very representative of his Generations ability and willingness to busted huh to get whatever they need and not just expect things nor want a trophy for breathing like today’s generation could you even imagine chip or anybody coming out with a company that even inferred or inadvertently hurt somebody’s touchy feelings oh my god there be lawyers coming out of the sky and parachutes great company great product great man. Some surprising history of Jay's Potato Chips in Chicago. Other options New Jays was a really great place to work at. After beating the odds and finding success as a Chicago snack merchant during the Depression, Japp had hit an unexpected snag in the road at the age of 35. ''My wife had run a chain of bakeries and was a fine cook. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Powered by. In 1938, he formed a partnership with George Johnson, a salesman for Kraft. ... you probably grew up eating Jay's Potato Chips. October 16-... Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, visits Chicago and... Mr. Gombien Jean, a Chicago Leland Hotel Employee,... Chicago's "Devil Baby" from the Early 20th Century. After the company tanked in the next eight years under the unfocused ownership of Borden Inc., however, the Japp family stepped in and bought back the business in 1994—with manufacturing still chugging along at the 99th Street plant; the familiar smell of chips lingering in the air around Cottage Grove Heights. Before Jays the chips were called Mrs. Japp's HistoryLeonard Japp, Sr. began selling pretzels from a truck in 1927. Please comment accordingly. It was a tough life, but we made out.”. 00 ($1.09/Ounce) FREE Shipping. When I read about it today in Ocean Robbin’s blog, I searched and found this site in the hopes of getting a copy of the ORIGINAL recipe. Find this Pin and more on Chicago Pin of the Dayby Lake Claremont Press. Generally speaking, I think we could do more. But as the business grew, Blue Star said the partners would have to go elsewhere because they were gobbling up too much of Blue Star's chips. One day, Mrs. Klein's walked out and found we were at her front door. Why Chicago renamed and renumbered its streets in 1909 & 1911. This small bag of plain potato chips makes an easy choice for all of your salty cravings. They just became too expensive,'' the younger Japp said. Through the years, Jays has added to its snack foods, but potato chips constitute 70 percent of sales. In October of 1999, Leonard Japp, Jr. died of an aneurysm at the age of 67. 10-Vol. So they sat down and, within a week, came up with more than 30 names to submit for trademark registration. Pretzels, corn chips, cheese dips, and other products are made elsewhere. Thank you very much. Inc. liked the sentiment so much, it started daring the public in 1963: ''Bet you can't eat just one.''. Originally called Japp’s, the brand changed its name during World War II.. Now owned by Snyder Lance, a Pennsylvania-based company, the …

jays potato chips factory in chicago

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