👨‍🍳 The Invention of Fritos

Good morning tortilla!

We have an epidemic among us.

You’re at your bffs Super Bowl party.

You’re hangin’ but you need to get some nervous energy out. Socializing is hard.

So you lock eyes with the Fritos and guac across the room.

You scurry over.

Another conversation starts while you dive in for a BIG dip of avocado goodness.

But you lose your focus and this tragedy unfolds:

What? You’re not gonna stick your finger in there and fish it out…are you?

Oh my god no, you did.

That’s embarrassing.

It’s a problem as old as the Frito itself – The United States’ oldest corn chip.

So how’d we get into this mess?

Well, it was the 1930s and this dude Charles Doolin was working at a confectionery:

Oops! Great Depression. He doesn’t work there anymore.

So he’s walking down the street.

Kickin’ rocks.

When he sees this street vendor:

I can only imagine what it would be like to taste masa flour smashed into a tortilla chip, deep fried in corn oil, and coated in salt for the first time.

Probably ~bliss~.

The only problem was, this street vendor – Gustavo – was super over his business.

He just wanted to go back to Mexico to coach soccer.

So he does.

But first he puts his tortilla chip company up for sale.

Charles wants to buy the $100 stand (~$2,000 today) — but he’s broke.

So he has to get his mom to pawn her wedding ring.

Her ring was only worth $80.

Which was, well, 80% of what he needed to buy Gustavo’s tortilla business.

But remember: Gustavo wanted OUT for his Mexican dream.

So he takes the $80 knowing Charles would be good for the other $20.

Now Charles owns a small corn tortilla chip stand and he rebrands the chips as ‘Fritos’ – meaning ‘fried’ in spanish.

And the rest, as they say, is history…

2 BILLION bags of Fritos sold every year history…

Stay Cute,
Henry & Dylan 🌈

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P.P.S you liked that chip story? Click below to watch another chip story 👇