News | Great Lakes Potato Chipshttps://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/2024-03-28T08:15:52+00:00Latest NewsGreat Lakes Potato Chip Company cranks out value-added spuds2019-04-10T17:23:30+00:002024-03-27T18:48:08+00:00Jena VanWagnerhttps://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/author/jena_van@yahoo.com/https://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/great-lakes-potato-chip-company-cranks-out-value-added-spuds-1/<p>BY DAVID L. BARBER</p>
<p>4/10/2019</p>
<p><em>Editor's note: This article was published in Grand Traverse Business magazine's Winter 2019 issue. For more stories from the magazine, click <a href="https://grandtraversebusiness-cnhi.newsmemory.com/">here</a> to read GT Business in its entirety online.</em></p>
<p>TRAVERSE CITY — Washed, dropped, sliced, paddled, boiled and bagged, the process of turning fist-sized potatoes into nickle-thick chips is swift and, in the end, savory, at the Great Lakes Potato Chip Company.</p>
<p>Located on M-72 about three miles west of Traverse City, the business has been producing kettle-cooked chips for nine years. What began as a father-son operation that was supported by family and friends has become an award-winning business that is enjoying a favorable, and flavored, growing spurt.</p>
<p>Great Lakes Potato Chip is the only northwest Lower Michigan business included in the 2018 Inc. 5000, an annual ranking by Inc. Magazine of the fastest-growing private companies in America.</p>
<p>“We continue to grow at a rate of about 30 percent a year,” said business co-owner, Ed Girrbach, who founded the business with his son and partner, Chris. “We think for the next two or three years we could continue at that rate. Our goal is to become one of the top five preeminent facilities in the country.”</p>
<p>And if the slightly altered axiom rings true — “the proof is in the potato” — Girrbach and his son, Chris, just might be on their way to achieving that goal.</p>
<p>At the 2016 The Potato Chip Festival held in Saratoga, New York — the consensus birthplace of the potato chip — the Girrbachs carried home the Gold Medal for the Best Kettle Chip. Their tortilla chip also was honored. Dozens of potato chip manufacturers from across the nation took part in that inaugural competition.</p>
<p>Swift production? From start to finish — being washed and sliced, to dropped and sealed into colorful packaging — takes about 20 minutes; in the middle of which the “chipped” potatoes are paddle-stirred and boiled for about eight minutes before being seasoned by hand, said the 69-year-old business entrepreneur.</p>
<p>Girrbach said his 14,000-square-foot business produced about 25 million ounces of kettle chips in the past year, which translates to about 1.56 million pounds.</p>
<p>“We always thought this company could get to that level,” said Girrbach. “We did our homework and we bought in to the right product, at the right time.”</p>
<p>Delivered to seven states and Canada, the company’s benchmark chip is its Original Kettle Cooked Potato Chip. Other flavors include Michigan Cherry BBQ, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Sea Salt Pepper and Onion, Buffalo Wing Potato Chips and Parmesan Ranch Potato Chips.</p>
<p>“All our chips are produced with their skins on,” said Girrbach. “That enhances the taste.”</p>
<p>Long retired from Merrill Lynch, where he worked for 28 years, Girrbach operated Pangea’s Pizza in downtown Traverse City for a few years. Girrbach said he and his son sometimes sat and talked about “opening a new business, from scratch.”</p>
<p>After considering the possibilities they decided to “go all in” on producing potato chips.</p>
<p>“We considered our options, we did our due diligence,” he said. “At the time, there was just one manufacturer of potato chips in the state, and that was in Detroit. We thought there was a hole in Michigan for this type of operation — we thought there definitely was an opportunity for a chip manufacturer. And that led us to say, ‘okay, let’s do this.’ We did or homework.</p>
<p>“Michigan is the number one state for producing chipping potatoes in the United States, so that was a big plus. We didn’t have to travel far to buy our potatoes.”</p>
<p>Once the Girrbachs located a building to house their operation, Girrbach said “we had to change it into a food manufacturing facility.”</p>
<p>“Needless to say, that took a lot of work,” he said.</p>
<p>Like many neophyte companies, The Great Lakes Potato Chip Company started out small, with Girrbach and his son — aided by family and friends — doing all the work. But each new year brought new growth. Today the company has 35 employees.</p>
<p>“We’ve developed a great team,” said Girrbach. “We have two shifts and we work closely together.</p>
<p>“I get a great deal of satisfaction knowing we’ve created something that can support 35 families. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of working with my son.</p>
<p>“What we did was very capital intensive, especially in the beginning. Chris and I never took an income for our first five years. We took the risks, and they paid off.”</p>
<p>The younger Girrbach said he enjoyed working for years with his father at their Pangeas Pizza in Traverse City, and enjoys working with his father at their potato chip business today.</p>
<p>“My dad and I have a good time working together and our strengths really compliment each other,” said Chris Girrbach, 39.</p>
<p>“It has been both fun and very challenging to create Great Lakes Potato Chips. We have a great team that all have made growing and being successful possible.”</p>
<p>So how did the Girrbachs come about naming their potato chip business?</p>
<p>“Our region is beautiful, one of the most beautiful places in the world,” said the elder Girrbach. “Our names tells people, ‘hey, this product is coming from a real cool place — a beautiful place. We tried to capture the feel of the Great Lakes, of this area – the northern Great Lakes area.</p>
<p>“Another thing about our product — our business — is that’s a truly a ‘green’ one. We have very little waste. That’s important to us.”</p>Great Lakes Potato Chip Company Turns Humble Potato Into Multimillion-Dollar Business2017-06-26T14:15:18+00:002024-03-28T08:15:52+00:00Jena VanWagnerhttps://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/author/jena_van@yahoo.com/https://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/great-lakes-potato-chip-company-turns-humble-potato-into-multimillion-dollar-business/<header class="content-header">
<p class="post-meta">By <span class="contrib"><a class="author url fn" href="https://mynorth.com/author/ross-boissoneau/" rel="author" title="Posts by Ross Boissoneau">Ross Boissoneau</a></span> on <a href="https://mynorth.com/2017/06/">June 26, 2017</a><br/>Tagged <a href="https://mynorth.com/work-in-northern-michigan/northern-michigan-companies/" rel="tag">Cool Companies</a>, <a href="https://mynorth.com/northern-michigan-food-drink/" rel="tag">Food & Drink</a>, <a href="https://mynorth.com/work-in-northern-michigan/" rel="tag">Work Here</a>, <a href="https://mynorth.com/area/traverse-city-michigan/" rel="tag">Traverse City</a></p>
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<div class="r"><img alt="Great Lakes Potato Chip Company" class="attachment-mynorth-inner-featured-900 size-mynorth-inner-featured-900 wp-post-image" height="473" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" src="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Potato-Chip-Company-_-planting-potatoes-900x473.jpg" srcset="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Potato-Chip-Company-_-planting-potatoes-900x473.jpg 900w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Potato-Chip-Company-_-planting-potatoes-600x315.jpg 600w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Potato-Chip-Company-_-planting-potatoes-480x252.jpg 480w" width="900"/><span class="image-credit">Photo(s) by Great Lakes Potato Chip Company</span><span class="image-caption">Planting potatoes </span></div>
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<p>Ed Girrbach has had several careers: Pilot. Airplane sales and marketing executive. Financial advisor. Restaurateur. And for the last five years, potato chip impresario.</p>
<p>Girrbach and his son Chris are the co-owners of <a href="http://greatlakespotatochips.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Great Lakes Potato Chip Company</a>. The company has managed to thrive as a regional purveyor of salty, crispy slices of Michigan-grown potatoes. Quite a stretch from six years ago, when the Girrbachs pulled into line alongside several semis to get a load of potatoes in their pickup truck.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-314826 alignleft" height="300" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" src="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300.png" srcset="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300.png 300w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300-150x150.png 150w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300-32x32.png 32w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300-50x50.png 50w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300-64x64.png 64w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300-96x96.png 96w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Original-Potato-Chips-300x300-128x128.png 128w" width="300"/>That 1,500 pounds of potatoes turned into the first bags of Great Lakes Potato Chips. Today the company produces seven flavors of kettle-cooked potato chips as well as some seasonal flavors, two kinds of tortilla chips, and two different salsas. Girrbach says this year he expects sales between $3.5 and 4 million, with next year increasing by another $1 million. He’s hopeful that in five years it will be in the $10–12 million range.</p>
<p>That’s pretty impressive, especially in light of the casual conversation that started the company. Ed and Chris opened Pangea’s Pizza in downtown Traverse City and were looking to expand into retail. Their first thought, naturally enough, was to move into the frozen pizza market, but looking into both production and how difficult it would be to secure freezer space in supermarkets, they decided that wasn’t the way to go. That led to the following exchange: “Chris asked, ‘Dad, what else do you like?’ I said, ‘Potato chips.’ He said, ‘Lets do it,’” recounts Girrbach.</p>
<p>That’s how they found themselves sitting in their pickup truck alongside the big boys, waiting their turn. Since then, Great Lakes Potato Chips has experienced remarkable growth, adding equipment—yes, including bigger trucks—and personnel. Today the company employs 30 people at its facility at 6806 E. Traverse Hwy. It has become so successful the Girrbachs eventually sold their restaurant to stake their future on chips.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-314824 alignright" height="300" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" src="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300.png" srcset="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300.png 300w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300-150x150.png 150w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300-32x32.png 32w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300-50x50.png 50w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300-64x64.png 64w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300-96x96.png 96w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Great-Lakes-Tortilla-Chips-300x300-128x128.png 128w" width="300"/>The company distributes throughout the region, including Canada. While the brand based its appeal primarily to those who call the Great Lakes region home, one of its bigger (and growing) markets is Florida. After all, explains Girrbach, “It’s like a Great Lake state in winter.”</p>
<p>And the company is poised for still bigger and better things. “We see a lot more potential for growth,” says Girrbach. The company is looking ahead to markets in the Caribbean, South America and China. “There’s no limit to opportunity. This is a really pivotal year for us.”</p>
<p>This next year will see the company invest another $1.5 million in equipment, which Girrbach says will increase its capacity by 150 percent. “We’ve had rapid growth, but we’re being really careful,” says Girrbach. “Growth can outstrip capacity. The world is awash in opportunity. We want to make sure we don’t drown in it.”</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_314825" style="width: 310px;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-314825" height="286" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" src="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ed-and-Chris.jpg" srcset="https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ed-and-Chris.jpg 314w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ed-and-Chris-300x286.jpg 300w, https://mynorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Ed-and-Chris-32x32.jpg 32w" width="300"/>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Ed and Chris Girrbach</p>
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<p>In addition to consumer success, the company continues to receive accolades. Great Lakes Potato Chip Company was named one of the “Top 50 Michigan Companies to Watch” in 2014, and the following year the chips were voted the #1 Kettle Chip in the Country by the <em>Chicago Tribune</em>. The chips received two Gold Ribbon awards for best Kettle Chip and best Tortilla Chip at the 2016 Saratoga Springs New York National Chip Festival. Great Lakes Potato Chips was also awarded the first place Growth Award at the Crain’s Business 2016 Annual Food Summit in Detroit.</p>
<p>The company both exemplifies and adds to the success of the “buy local” focus of the market. By focusing its efforts regionally, Great Lakes Potato Chips has been able to build consumer awareness of its brand. It also helps the state maintain its agricultural success, purchasing nearly all its potatoes from Sackett Potatoes in Mecosta County. “Michigan is number one in the country in chipping potatoes, and number five overall,” says Girrbach. Thanks, in part, to Great Lakes Potato Chips.</p>
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<p></p>Great Lakes Potato Chips Company wins at Crain’s Food Summit2016-09-01T15:41:05+00:002024-03-27T18:48:02+00:00Jena VanWagnerhttps://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/author/jena_van@yahoo.com/https://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/great-lakes-potato-chips-company-wins-at-crains-food-summit/<p>Detroit – Great Lakes Potato Chip Company announces their win at the inaugural Crain’s Food Summit, held August 22<sup>nd</sup> in Detroit. The idea for the pitch competition came out of planning for a food economy summit held by Crain’s Detroit Business.</p>
<p>More than 100 companies applied for the opportunity to pitch in the contest and just a dozen were selected.</p>
<p> “We were proud to be selected as one of four finalists in the Growth Companies Category. We faced some really good companies, but in the end we were voted as the #1 company that the judges would invest in,” said Ed Girrbach, co-owner of Great Lakes Potato Chips.</p>
<p> Great Lakes Potato Chips produces skin-on kettle chips in a variety of flavors and tortilla chips. The company, founded in 2010, started with just $60,000 in sales the first year and has grown to $3 million in sales predicted for 2016. The chips are currently distributed in six states, but more growth is predicted for 2017.</p>
<p> “Even though we have been in the food business for over 10 years, it was eye opening to learn more about all the great food and innovations that are being developed in our state. One thing is for sure, the Food Economy in Michigan is alive and well,” said Girrbach.</p>
<p> In addition to winning the Crain’s Food Summit, Great Lakes Potato Chip Company was honored in 2014 by being selected one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” by the Michigan Celebrates Small Business Organization. In 2015 they were named “Best Kettle Chip” by the Chicago Tribune and in 2016 received two “Gold Ribbon” awards for Best Kettle Chip and Best Tortilla Chip at the national Chip Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York.</p>
<p> Great Lakes Potato Chips continue to keep their brand promise of “A great tasting chip in every bag, every time.” All products are produced as simply and naturally as possible, allowing for customers to “Snack Happy” with quality gluten free offerings.</p>
<p> Find Great Lakes Potato Chip Company on line at www.greatlakespotatochips.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GreatLakesChips.</p>Great Lakes Potato Chips Voted Best Kettle Chips2016-08-12T15:43:10+00:002024-03-28T04:41:23+00:00Jena VanWagnerhttps://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/author/jena_van@yahoo.com/https://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/great-lakes-potato-chips-voted-best-kettle-chips/<p><strong>Great Lakes Potato Chip Company Wins Awards</strong></p>
<p>Traverse City – Great Lakes Potato Chip Company is thrilled to announce they are winners at the Chip Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York. The company took home two gold medals in the Best Kettle Chip and Best Tortilla Chip categories.</p>
<p> In its inaugural year, The Chip Festival welcomed chip lovers and vendors to sample snacks and talk to chip makers. Saratoga Springs is the unofficial birthplace of the potato chip.</p>
<p> “It was a really great festival,” said Ed Girrbach, co-owner of Great Lakes Potato Chips. “We did not know what to expect the first year, but there were so many people in attendance.”</p>
<p> Since Great Lakes Potato Chips are not currently sold in New York state, the company is looking forward to a boost in their on-line chip sales following the festival and plans on attending again in 2017.</p>
<p> A 2014 recipient of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” by Michigan Celebrates Small Business, Great Lakes Potato Chips has also been awarded best kettle chip by the Chicago Tribune.</p>
<p> Find Great Lakes Potato Chip Company on line at www.greatlakespotatochips.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GreatLakesChips.</p>Great Lakes Potato Chip Company Celebrates Five Years2015-06-01T15:47:39+00:002024-03-27T18:47:47+00:00Jena VanWagnerhttps://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/author/jena_van@yahoo.com/https://greatlakespotatochips.com/news/great-lakes-potato-chip-company-celebrates-five-years/<p>Traverse City – Great Lakes Potato Chip Company has come a long way in the last five years. In 2000, Ed Girrbach and his son Chris pulled their Dodge pick-up truck into line behind four semi-tractors to get their first load of Michigan potatoes. That first load held about 1,500 pounds of potatoes – enough for 600 bags of chips.</p>
<p> “It was an exciting time,” said Ed. “We drove that one crate of fresh harvested potatoes 110 miles back to Traverse City and turned them into the first hand-crafted kettle chips for our company.”</p>
<p> Like most small businesses, sales began with Ed and Chris driving to local retailers to share their new product. Response was very positive and soon sales spread throughout the state. Great Lakes Chips were also a hit on the snack trade show circuit, exposing them to buyers big and small around the Great Lakes region.</p>
<p> “In the second year we added our 16 foot box truck and a second refurbished kettle fryer,” said Chris. “We faced rapidly growing demand for all three of the flavors being produced: Original, Barbeque and Sea Salt and Vinegar.”</p>
<p> As demand increased over the next two years, a larger delivery truck and fourth flavor (Sea Salt Pepper & Onion) were added. A major expansion to the production facility increased the number of employees to 13.</p>
<p> Great Lakes Potato Chip Company was honored in 2014 by being selected one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. This award is presented to companies known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.</p>
<p> Ed commented on the award, “This was such an honor for us. We started our company with one clear goal: to make a chip worthy of the hardy, fresh spirit of the Great Lakes region and its people. To think that our snack food is now an ambassador for our region is amazing.”</p>
<p> Today, the company offers five permanent flavors of the kettle cooked, skin-on potato chips, two flavors of tortilla chips, two flavors of salsa and four seasonal potato chips. A new production line that will double capacity is in the works and employee count is expected to hit 25 this year. They continue to keep their brand promise of “A great tasting chip in every bag, every time.” All products are produced as simply and naturally as possible, allowing for customers to “Snack Happy” with quality gluten free offerings.</p>
<p> There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for Great Lakes Potato Chips, with both pretzels and popcorn on the drawing board.</p>
<p> Find Great Lakes Potato Chip Company on line at www.greatlakespotatochips.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GreatLakesChips.</p>