News of the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory closing in the Spring caught me off guard. I feel like this represents the end of an era. It’s been a local staple for decades. The wide variety of sizes and flavors are everywhere from supermarkets and delis to convenience stores and large box-stores.
Living on the Cape, they feel like our own home-grown brand of chips, even though they’re distributed nationwide and owned by Campbell’s. At the same time, as large corporations buy up smaller companies, the irony is not lost that they are closing the Cape Cod location of Cape Cod Potato Chips.
I frequently buy them when grocery shopping and have always felt a connection to the brand. Many Cape Codders have worked at Cape Cod Chips and if you didn’t… you probably know someone who did!
As a fan of the chips, I loved that the factory in Hyannis was open to the public for visits! Every summer they offered self-guided tours, letting you walk down a corridor featuring large windows looking into the factory floor. Placards on the wall detailed each step as you watched chips flowing through the various stages, including being packaged. It was a lot of fun and the tour ended in the Cape Cod Chips gift store.
My son and I diligently took the tour each summer. You’d park in one of the lower parking lots where kids were spilling out the back of minivans full of beach gear. Everyone would follow the path up to the main building that wrapped around it until you came to the main entrance. There was often a line of families posing for photos in front of the main outdoor sign.
After seeing tons of chips moving on conveyor belts, the gift shop at the end provided each person with a small bag of Cape Cod Potato Chips free of charge! At the tour’s conclusion, it was hard to pass up a hat or t-shirt.
The whole experience was short and sweet, and let visitors get a glimpse into the life of a potato chip before it arrived at a local store. I felt the tour made a great connection between the consumer and the company. We’ve looked forward to each summer’s visit and will miss the experience and buying new merch each year. Of course, we’ll still keep a stash of Cape Cod Chips in the house for snacking!
By CapeCod.com Staff
