This Chip Company Has A Beloved Fan Base In Pennsylvania (No, It's Not Utz)

Potato chips are one of America's favorite snack foods, combining a salty flavor and crispy crunch in each addictive bite. They became popular despite their surprising origin as a delicacy in restaurants for upscale patrons. Shoppers today often turn to the big national names, but there are also many beloved regional brands that satisfy chip cravings. One with a big fan base in Pennsylvania is the homegrown brand Herr's, founded in the state eight decades ago and still headquartered there today.

Pennsylvania is home to other salty snack-makers as well, including Utz and Snyder's of Hanover. The pretzel capital of the world is also located in the Keystone State. But when it comes to potato chips, Herr's may hold the edge. A July 2025 Instacart review of sales data around the Fourth of July found Herr's was the most uniquely popular potato chip brand in Pennsylvania. The company is so closely tied to Pennsylvania that the Scranton-set TV show "The Office" focused a subplot on a character searching for Herr's salt and vinegar potato chips after the office vending machine ran dry.

Herr's base and main manufacturing plant is located in Nottingham, Pennsylvania, where it offers visitors tours of the factory three days a week. The company delivers its snacks directly to stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Virginia. Independent distributors handle delivery for the rest of the country.

James Herr founded the company in 1946 when the 21-year-old Pennsylvanian borrowed $1,750 to buy a small potato chip company. It reached $1 million in sales within five years and continued to grow. Its first flavored chip, barbecue, was introduced in 1958, and Herr's added cheese curls, popcorn, pretzels, corn and tortilla chips, and onion rings in the '70s and '80s. Herr's now sells more than 340 snacks, including over 40 potato chip flavors. The company is still owned by the Herr family, and after Utz went public in 2024, Herr's became the largest privately-owned snack company in the U.S.

One of the ways Herr's shows its home-state love is through its annual fan-voted "Flavored by Philly" competition. It began in 2021 when Herr's wanted to create limited-time potato chips inspired by Philadelphia flavors and asked fans for ideas. People voted on three finalists, choosing Long Hots & Sharp Provolone as the winner. Italian peppers and cheese are common hoagie toppings, particularly for roast pork. The next year, Herr's asked for nominations based on small Philly businesses. The fan-voted winner was Tomato Pie from Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli. You'll find this popular pizza type along the East Coast, though in Philadelphia, it's similar to the Sicilian version. Special Hot Stromboli won the following year, and Herr's decided in 2025 to hold a competition among the three winners, with the top vote-getter becoming a permanent chip flavor. Nearly 200,000 people cast ballots online, crowning Long Hots & Sharp Provolone as the champ.