Lay’s® Farmer Program Reveals that Your Favourite Potato Chip Brand is Made with Potatoes Grown Closer to Home Than You Think!
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Ask anyone from the Lay’s brand what they are most proud of and they will surely give you two answers – our quality, homegrown potatoes straight from Canadian soil and the long-term relationships they’ve built with their farmers. Frito Lay Canada has worked with Canadian potato farmers for more than 25 years to develop the highest quality potatoes for their potato chips. This close relationship fosters a shared respect and common goal to produce and support delicious products that are grown or made close to home. Today, the Lay’s brand launches Lay’s Farmers – a campaign devoted to celebrating Lay’s Canadian potato farmers.
“Our Lay’s potato farmers are no doubt the secret behind our crispy, fresh-tasting Lay’s potato chips,” says Claudia Calderon, Senior Marketing Manager, Lay’s. “We work closely together to ensure we’re providing Canadians with a snack that they can feel good eating knowing it comes direct from Canadian soil, right in their own community.”
There are over 30 Lay’s potato farms across more than 16,000 acres of land in provinces throughout the country, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and PEI. Lay’s potato farmers work day and night and face Mother Nature’s challenges with patience, heart and dedication. Their role in growing high-quality potatoes that eventually turn into high-quality potato chips, and genuinely enjoying what they do every day, is what makes these farmers proud to be Lay’s potato farmers.
Each Lay’s potato farmer has a very unique and personal story to share and their farms have a rich history, often spanning several generations! The following Lay’s potato farmers are excited to be able to share their experiences and provide a small glimpse into what it’s like to be a Lay’s potato farmer:
Terry Curley – Kensington, PEI
Terry Curley comes from a long line of potato farmers – six generations and counting. It all started during the mid 19th century when the Curley family came to Canada from Ireland during the Great Famine and started Monaghan Farms. The tradition continues to this day as Monaghan Farms is still truly a family effort. Terry has worked with Lay’s and supplied their potatoes for over 20 years. He has built a solid and mutually respectful relationship with the Lay’s brand and appreciates their focus on good quality potatoes that meet high industry standards.
Jack Murphy – Alliston, ON
Jack Murphy comes from a rich lineage of family members who share a passion for potatoes. In fact, Jack is a third generation potato farmer; his grandfather started farming in the Alliston, Ontario area in the 1930’s, which is where his father purchased the farm they currently own in 1953. Jack’s farm strictly produces potato crops and has been supplying potatoes to Lay’s since the 1980’s. He harbours a great admiration for the brand because they are known for investing heavily in their own potatoes. “If you start with a good product, you will end up with a good product,” says Jack!
Ruth Vander Zaag – Alliston, ON
Being a woman in a male dominated farming industry has never been an issue for Alliston, Ontario’s Ruth Vander Zaag. Like anyone, she’s had to prove herself and has risen to every challenge thrown in her path. Being anything other than a farmer was never a question for Ruth as her family has been supplying potatoes to Lay’s for years. She loves seeing her hard work come to fruition – planting the potato seed, watching it grow and eventually shipping it off to the Lay’s manufacturing facility to be produced into Canada’s favourite potato chip brand.
Chris Perry – Coaldale, AB
A devoted Lay’s potato supplier for the past 13 years, Chris Perry has had his farm in the family and in the same local area for over a century. Chris actually left the farm at a young age to study engineering, but quickly found that city life wasn’t for him and returned to his true calling. Today, Chris and his brother Harold work with eight other full time staff and up to 40 seasonal staff to produce a whopping 13,550 tons of potatoes for Lay’s each year! Both Chris and his brother value renewable energy and both believe that this is the way of the future in farming – one day, they hope to have a farm that is off-the-grid – one of the few in Canada with that distinction.
Thomas Nakashima – Burdette, AB
Thomas Nakashima’s parents adventured over to Canada from the beautiful country of Japan almost 40 years ago and eventually settled into farm life a few years after arriving on Canadian soil. Thomas’ father started supplying potatoes to Lay’s about 25 years ago and today, Thomas and his brother Charles have taken over farm duties. The Nakashima’s are still very proud to be a part of the team that makes Lay’s potato chips and work closely together to deliver a top quality potato year after year – Thomas and Charles enjoy the challenge of delivering on this ask every day!
Michel Drainville – Saint-Thomas de Joliette, QC
From the tender age of 12, Michel Drainville always knew he was destined be a farmer. He took over the family business, founded by his parents, several decades ago. Michel works on the farm with his brothers, “men of the earth”, just like him. He is a dedicated farmer who puts his heart into his work and despite any daily challenges, he never gives up. Thanks to this determination, ambition and the exceptional work of his team, Michel has been supplying high quality potatoes to Lay’s for over 37 years.
Martin Goyet – Saint-Thomas de Joliette, QC
Martin Goyet is remarkably, a fifth generation farmer of M.V.G. Inc. Farms. The farm itself has an incredible history – it originally focused on livestock and was dedicated to solely feeding the Goyet family. However in the 1970’s, Martin’s father decided to turn the family farm into a commercially-operated profitable business, a decision that would forever change the lives of his family. Over time, the Goyet farm turned their focus on producing potatoes and today, Martin is proud to be amongst the few privileged farms in Quebec who work with such a great potato producer like the Lay’s brand.
To learn more about the Lay’s Farmer program and to find out where the potato chips in your bag of Lay’s chips came from, visit www.lays.ca.
About Lay’s
Lay’s potato chips are Canada’s favourite potato chip brand, leading market share in all Canadian regions. Lay’s is one of PepsiCo Canada’s flagship brands. For more information, please visit www.lays.ca.
About PepsiCo Canada
PepsiCo’s businesses in Canada are organized into two business units. PepsiCo Foods Canada includes Frito Lay Canada and the Quaker Foods & Snacks business. PepsiCo Beverages Canada includes Pepsi-Cola Canada, Gatorade and Tropicana. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world’s largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses — Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola — also make hundreds of other enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo’s promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
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