Our History

In 1932, C.E. Doolin entered a small San Antonio cafe and purchased a bag of corn chips. Little did he dream this savory chip would become one of the nation's most popular snacks.

Mr. Doolin learned that the manufacturer of the chips was eager to sell his small business, so he purchased the recipe, and began to sell FRITOS^®
Corn Chips from his Model T Ford.

Meanwhile, that same year, Herman W. Lay began his potato chip business in Nashville by delivering snack foods. Not long after, Mr. Lay purchased the manufacturer, and the H.W. Lay & Company was formed.

The success of Frito-Lay is a tribute to two entrepreneurs' dreams.

H.W. Lay & Company became one of the largest snack food companies in the Southeast, and LAY'S® brand Potato Chips is still America's favorite potato chip.

Years later, in 1961, the Frito Company and the H.W. Lay company merged to become Frito-Lay, Inc. Today, Frito-Lay brands account for 59% of the U.S. snack chip industry.

These days, our founders' dream to be America's favorite snack food company continues to be fulfilled by more than 45,000 Frito-Lay employees in the United States and Canada who make, sell, and deliver a wide variety of fun and environmentally friendly foods for you to enjoy.