Charles Chips began in 1942 in Lancaster County. Effi Musser sold her potato chips at an Amish Market. The demand became so great that husband Si stepped in to help. The red tins were replaced with the distinctive brown & gold. Pretzels & cookies were added in the late 50s. Sunday afternnons, my dad loved watching his Phillies on TV on his favorite chair with his Charles pretzels, quart of Kaier's or Stegmaier beer, & fresh roasted peanuts. Life was good back in the 60s!
Home delivery of Charles Chips declined in the early 70s as profits were eaten up by soaring gas prices. The Mussers turned to retail settings including grocery & convenience stores. But, it just wasn't the same.
Faced with mounting debt & bad potato crops in 1989 & 1990, the Mussers sold Charles Chips to a Philly investment group in 1991. After that, a series of bankruptcies & sales followed. For years, Charles Chips was nothing more than a memory.
In December, 2011, Charles Chips was relaunched. It's trying to make a comeback through a combination of retail & online sales. The new owners even brought back those iconic brown & gold tins. You can now get your Charles chips, pretzels, & cookies delivered in the mail.
A 1 pound tin of Charles Chips delivered to your home is 25-99; a 1.5 pound tin of Charles Pretzels goes for 24-99, & 1 pound tin of Charles Cookies is priced at 17-99. The metal containers are worth more than the product inside. Visit Charles Chips website at www.charleschips.com. They also have a Facebook fan page.
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