Smiths (snack foods)

Smith's is a snack food brand owned by PepsiCo, best known for its brand of potato crisps. In the United Kingdom, where the business initially started, it is now a sub-brand made by PepsiCo subsidiary Walkers Snack Foods, while in Australia, The Smith's Snackfood Company is the PepsiCo subsidiary that manufacturers and sells its crisp products.

The company was founded in the United Kingdom in 1920 by Frank Smith and Jim Viney, originally packaging a twist of salt with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags which were sold around London. Incorporated as a private limited company in 1930, Smith's became the dominant brand of crisps in Britain and remained so until the 1960s when Golden Wonder took over with Cheese & Onion, Smith's countered by creating Salt & Vinegar flavour (first tested by their north-east England subsidiary Tudor) which was launched nationally in 1967. Smith's came under the same owners as Walkers in 1982, when Nabisco purchased the business.

After establishing the product in his home country, Smith set up the company in Australia in 1932 and the Netherlands in 1958. All three Smiths companies underwent various owners, but were reunited under PepsiCo ownership, with the UK business being purchased in 1989, the Dutch business in 1992 and the Australian business in 1998. The Smith's brand is no longer active today in Benelux, and was replaced by the Lay's brand in 2001.