Who Makes Tesco Crisps? (Are They Good, Quality + More)

Tesco is one of the largest retailers in the world. They also have some products covered under their own private label, including their Tesco crisps!

They have a fairly expansive selection of crisps under this brand, but do you actually know who makes them?

Tesco crisps are reportedly made by the third largest snack manufacturer in the UK, Tayto! Reports about Tayto’s contract with Tesco hit back in 2008, and their partnership has continued ever since.

In this article we will discuss Tayto, their partnership with Tesco, and if Tesco’s crisps are good quality.

Table of Contents

How Do We Know Tayto Makes Tesco Crisps?

Several news sources reported back in 2008 that Tayto landed a £10m contract with Tesco to make their crisps for stores all across the UK.

Tayto had already been previously selling their own branded products in Tesco stores, but decided to take up manufacturing crisps for Tesco’s private label brand.

They create around 11 different flavors of crisps for Tesco.

This partnership makes perfect sense when you consider how widespread both Tesco and Tayto are across the UK.

Are Tayto Crisps High Quality?

As you might guess, Tayto crisps are some of the most loved all across the UK. While their cheese and onion is the most popular, they are also known for their spring onion and smoky bacon crisps.

All Tayto crisps are sliced to be exactly 1.2mm thick, just another aspect of their consistency that consumers love.

Are Tesco Crisps Good?

As far as supermarket brand crisps go, the Tesco brand is fairly good. Customers enjoy them and they generally have pretty good reviews online.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the company who makes them! Although Tayto has formulated recipes with Tesco to produce their crisps, customers should feel assured knowing that Tayto would not produce crisps that don’t live up to their quality standards.

The flavors are good, the crunch is good, and the price is pretty good for what you get. The only real complaint circulating online about Tesco crisps is their packaging.

But, we don’t really buy crisps for their packaging anyways, so this shouldn’t influence your opinion on their crisps!

Who Is Tayto?

If you’re unfamiliar with Tayto, they are the third largest snack manufacturer in the UK. The company was started in 1958 by the Hutchinsons.

Tayto is still owned by the same family! And they pride themselves on employing local workers and using as many local ingredients and materials as possible.

The company manufactures their crisps at Tandragee Castle, which is located in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Their mascot is Mr. Tayto, a large potato figure with a white hat.

They do fully guided factory tours at their production facility, affectionately called Tayto castle, every weekday. Their tours are rated with 4 stars by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

This is the highest rating ever given to an existing manufacturing facility.

They are known for their Cheese and Onion crisps which is a specialized recipe that they pass down through the generations.

A fun fact from their website even states that 1 in 5 crisps eaten in Northern Ireland is a Tayto Cheese and Onion!

Tayto exports their crisps to 43 countries across the world and is perhaps one of the most likely choices for a partnership with a major retailer such as Tesco.

Does Tayto Own Any Other Major Brands?

Although Tayto has been widely successful on their own, within the last five years they have also purchased major brands such as:

Golden Wonder,
Real Crisps,
Mr Porky, and
Jonathan Crisp.

Back in 2008 Tayto was purchasing over 20,000 tons of crisps every year, and this number is only expected to increase as they grow.

With the acquisition of these other major brands, Tayto has expanded their reach and revenue significantly.

Where Does Tayto Manufacture Tesco Crisps?

As we know Tayto manufactures their own crisps at their facility at Tandragee Castle. However, when they began their partnership making Tesco brand chips, they also completed a fairly large expansion there.

Tayto spent £7m on a capital expansion plan in order to build a new and improved manufacturing plant. This expansion includes a new hand-friend production line, automating packing lines, and palletizing lines.

This expansion line was to encompass making Tayto fusion crisps and the Tesco brand crisps.

What Flavor Of Tesco Crisps Are There?

Tesco has a wide variety of crisp selections available under their name brand, including:

Tesco variety crisps,
Tesco lightly salted tortilla chips,
Tesco potato crisps,
Tesco ready salted crisps,
Tesco salt and vinegar crisps,
Tesco ridge cut variety crisps,
Tesco meaty variety crisps,
Tesco cool tortilla chips,
Tesco nacho cheese tortilla chips,
Tesco reduced-fat cheese and onion crisps, and
Tesco hot chili tortilla chips.

The most popular variety they sell is their regular potato crisps and salt and vinegar crisps.

Conclusion

The beloved Tesco supermarket has their name brand crisps made by one of the biggest snack manufacturers in the UK, Tayto!

This partnership has supplied Tayto with an estimated £10m every year in revenue, and ensured that Tesco crisps are high quality!

If you’re curious how these supermarket chips compare to your favorite Tayto flavors, go pop by your nearest Tesco and try some out! You may be surprised at how delicious they are.

They may lack the Tayto branding, but the flavors are still there.

References

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/

https://www.tayto.com/about/