Staff Writer
MAPLETON – A local snack food favorite gained state and national attention this month, through a reference in DownEast magazine and an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show.
Contributed photo
Mixing in just the right amount of seasoning, Rhett Fox, owner of Fox Family Chips, works on a batch of freshly-made potato chips at his Mapleton facility.
“Fox Family Chips were listed in DownEast in a section called Food and Drink: Best of the Rest in the January 2009 issue. And we were the Snack of the Day on the Rachael Ray Show on Jan. 13,” said Rhett Fox, owner.
Fox Family Chips haven’t been on the market for very long but they have received a warm welcome from customers from the beginning.
“I started making them when I owned the convenience story here in Mapleton. I used a meat slicer to slice potatoes, then used a kitchen fryer to fry them to create chips. That was seven years ago. I put them on the counter for people to try and they liked them,” said Fox.
Fox said the chip business grew as his interest in running the store began to fade. That was when he decided, in 2005, to devote his attention to making and marketing the snack food.
“I started gathering equipment in the fall of 2005. I now have the capacity to put out 30 cases of 7-oz. bags an hour,” said Fox.
The chips are made with locally-grown russet potatoes, said Fox.
“We strictly use russets from Double G Farms – Wayne and Greg Garrison. They’ve been exceptional. I don’t know if I could have done this without their help,” he said. “I get potatoes in 50-pound bags.”
Currently, Fox produces three flavors: plain, salt and pepper, and barbecue.
“The barbecue is very spicy. They’re for people who like spicy food,” Fox said.
The product is truly a family endeavor, with the owner’s wife and children credited with the package’s design and slogan, and a cousin helping with production.
“My kids designed the picture on the bags. My daughter, Jerica, who’s 17, drew the design. My daughter, Jaylee, 15, laid it out. And my son, Dakota, who’s 13, colored it. My wife, Tracy, came up with the slogan, ‘Potato chips that taste the way Mother Nature intended.’ My cousin, Brock Kingsbury, works for me on processing and packing the product for distribution,” said Fox.
Fox said distribution has grown considerably since he first started the business.
“We distribute to locations throughout Aroostook County, such as Washburn, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Easton, Mars Hill, Monticello, Presque Isle and Houlton. I also have a distributor out of Rye, N.Y. – So-Clear Beverages – who now has me in Hannaford stores in other parts of the state and we’re looking at other possible markets,” he said. “I came to the conclusion I couldn’t do it all myself. To make this a viable business, I had to get out of the county. To do that, I needed to hook up with a distributor.”
Fox said Brian Hamel has been “a big help” in moving the business along.
“Brian was a big help. He was instrumental in getting the contract set up with the distributor,” he said.
Locally, the chips can be found in a number of area stores.
“In Presque Isle, we’re in Bradley’s, Friend’s, JP Cash Market, Graves, Perry’s Mini Mart; and all three of Scott Carlin’s stores, including Star City IGA; we’re in Ouellette’s, Hannaford, Paradis’s, Sleepers and Big Cheese in Caribou; the Monticello Country Store; Tenney’s in Mapleton; the Washburn Food Mart; and all the PPJS stores, including Bridgewater and Fort Fairfield,” said Fox. “All the local runs are doing very well.”
Fox said his father’s encouragement played a big role in his decision to get into the chip business.
“My father was very inspirational before he passed away. He passed away four years ago,” said Fox, noting how his father encouraged him as his dream took shape.
“I was a truck driver before I bought the store – drove for 13 years. I’ve lived here my whole life, grew up on the Wade Rd. I was looking to get out of trucking. When my wife and I decided to buy the store, I got done driving one day, started working at the store the next,” he said. “When I got involved with making chips, we reached our capacity at the store for making them and had to expand. The big reason for selling the store was it wasn’t fair to either business to do both.”
Fox said potato chips were a natural choice, considering Aroostook County is known for its potato farms.
“The raw product is readily available and who doesn’t enjoy a good potato chip?” asked Fox.
And good they are, with plain chips made with four simple ingredients: potatoes, corn oil, canola oil and salt. Flavoring is added to create the salt and pepper, as well as barbecue variety.
While Fox said he enjoyed the customers at the store, the business of running a business began to wear thin. But at the same time, his interest in making potato chips was more than a money thing, it involved creating something from scratch that others could enjoy.
“If you don’t have passion and drive, you’re not going to succeed. With Fox Family Chips, I like what I do and knowing I’m creating a product others will enjoy,” said Fox.
Fox said now that his product has appeared on the Rachael Ray Show, he wouldn’t be surprised to see orders come in from elsewhere in the country.
“My distributor contacted the show, that’s how Fox Family Chips got on. All the audience members got a bag of chips. The show’s Web site now has a link to our Web site, www.foxfamilypotatochips.com,” said Fox.
Expansion could be in the future, according to Fox.
“I’d like to see production at five days a week. I’d also like to see us moving to a new facility that’s processor-friendly. Expansion is the whole thing,” said Fox. “It’s all about finding a facility that’s suitable for our needs.”
Currently, the business is housed at a site across the street from the store where the chips first came to be. When Fox isn’t busy with filling weekly orders, he can be found driving truck for a local oil company.
“When I’m not busy with production, I make trips downstate to pick up oil for a local business. I’d like to, at some point, be so busy making chips that I don’t need to drive, but with today’s economy, it’s good to have that extra income.”
Weekly production “depends on orders,” Fox said. The chips are distributed to stores but can also be bought by individuals by the case.
“We will sell them by the case for special occasions in the county. We process whenever orders come in,” said Fox. “We have the process down: slice the potatoes, then wash, fry, season and bag. The entire process isn’t difficult and doesn’t take a lot of time but the end result is a flavorful product all can enjoy.”
For more information on the business, or to place orders, contact Fox at 760-8400 or 768-4187… or visit the Web site.
