British Tyrrells Crisps acquired Australian Yarra Valley Snack Foods

UK chip brand, Tyrrells Potato Crisps Ltd, has acquired the Australian company Yarra Valley Snack Foods. Yarra Valley Snack Foods, producer of the Thomas Chipman Organic Chips range, is based in Lilydale, Melbourne, Victoria.

Yarra Valley Snack Foods owns a number of different snack food brands including Thomas Chipman chips, Goody Goody Popcorn, Puff-O’s cheese snacks, Hole-Sum corn chips, Mexicana Corn Chips and Blains of Yarra Valley.

The business had its start in 1988 when the Paladino family began a nut repacking business. More than a decade later the family went into corn chip production and then Yarra Valley Snack Foods acquired the business a few years later.

Yarra Valley Snack Foods have been certified organic since 2006 and were granted Kosher certification in 2007.

The company has a focus on providing vegetable flavoured chips including sweet potato, beetroot, mixed root and parsnip chips.

Yarra Valley Snacks also has also promoted its products for use by schools, clubs, charities, hospitals and other similar organisations for fundraising purposes.

The acquisition comes 15 months after Tyrrells Crisps launched in Australia, Tyrells says its acquisition will give the Yarra Valley Snack Foods Brands the opportunity to accelerate growth. This is the first Tyrrells manufacturing operation outside the UK.

Following the initial successful launch of Tyrrells in Coles supermarkets in 2014, Australia is now Tyrrells’ second largest international market after France. Now established in over 37 countries worldwide, Tyrrells global presence accounts for approximately 25% of its turnover according to June 2015 figures.

Tyrrell’s said that the acquisition provides a base to develop further opportunities throughout Asia.