It's no secret Idaho is known for its potatoes, but when it comes to potato chips, most are grown somewhere else.
That's something one western Idaho family decided to change.
Brothers Marc and Kyle Nehring put their heads together a few years ago and set out to create an authentic, savory potato chip made from real Idaho potatoes. Fast-forward to present day, and Idaho "Real Potato Chips" from Teton Valley Brands can be found on store shelves across the Treasure Valley.
"Ours is a kettle-style chip," Kyle Nehring said. "We also leave the skins on. It really is just focused on that potato flavor," Marc added.
The brothers are passionate about the quality of potatoes grown in Idaho, and choose an Idaho russet for their chips, which isn't usually the case.
"That is the main point of what we're trying to do and a lot of consumers don't realize this. Your Idaho russet potato is very rarely if ever used in a potato chip application," Marc said. "There's a very different variety of potatoes used for chips and the Idaho russet actually has so much more potato flavor in it."
So they let the potato flavor shine through, keeping the seasoning process simple. Varying by flavor, the packaging showcases a scenic image from Idaho's backcountry, and consumers can see exactly where the potatoes from that particular bag were grown.
Although they're the first family members to bring products to store shelves, their roots in the potato industry run deep.
In the early 1900s, their great-grandfather farmed potatoes at the base of the Teton Mountains, serving as the inspiration behind the Teton Valley Brands name.
They still get some of their potatoes from eastern Idaho, but now their products are prepared and processed at their plant in Nampa where their chips go from raw russet to package in just 15 minutes.
You can find their chips in specialty shops like Taters in downtown Boise and the Eastern Idaho Visitor Center, but the bulk of their bags end up on shelves at Treasure Valley Albertsons stores and the Boise Co-Op.
The Nehrings say they've only scratched the surface of what their new Nampa facility is capable of and hope to expand operations with more flavors, more employees, and more distribution in the future.
You can learn more about their products here.
