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York County-based Utz purchases western PA potato chip maker Snyder of Berlin

YORK COUNTY — Utz Quality Foods LLC, the York-based snack manufacturer, has purchased Synder of Berlin, a Somerset County producer of potato chips, pretze...
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YORK COUNTY — Utz Quality Foods LLC, the York-based snack manufacturer, has purchased Synder of Berlin, a Somerset County producer of potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, and other snacks, according to TribLive.

Snyder of Berlin had been owned by Conagra Brands Inc. prior to the latest transaction. Terms of the deal were not released.

Utz reportedly has not revealed the fate of the Snyder plant in Berlin, which employs 320 workers.

Snyder’s of Berlin was purchased by Conagra in October 2018 as part of a deal to buy Pinnacle Foods Inc. The sale to Utz is part of a reorganization in which Conagra divested six other snack brands that involved the delivery of products to stores, which is not a primary business for Conagra, TribLive reported.

Utz has 11 plants in Pennsylvania and five other states and makes potato chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, corn chips, tortilla chips, popcorn, onion rings, and pork skins. Its products compete with Snyder for shelf space in Western PA supermarkets and other stores, according to TribLive.

The Snyder food company dates back to the 1920s, when the Snyder family started cooking kettle chips in their kitchen in Hanover, York County. In the 1940s, TribLive reports, the Snyder family joined with other farmers and business owners to open a potato chip factory in Berlin, Somerset County.

Snyder’s was split into two companies in the 1950s, one linked to Hanover and the other with Berlin.

Snyder’s of Hanover is not affected by the deal.

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