Big announcement for local, Maine business!
It doesn’t get much better than having a Bon Appetit editor commend your chips in a national, respected “foodie” publication. And that’s what happened last month for Rhett Fox in the January magazine.
In an article praising 13 regional chips “worth paying shipping for,” various Bon Appetit editors identified their favorites. Andrew Knowlton, restaurant editor, spotlighted Fox Family chips:
“The curious thing about most potato chips? They don’t actually taste like potatoes. Well, these hand-sliced, hand-cooked, and fried-to-a-perfect-amber beauties from Fox Family in Maine do. And they’re thick-cut, so they won’t crumble under the weight of your favorite onion dip.” —Andrew Knowlton, restaurant editor
Good for you, Rhett and all the Fox Family chips family!
Additionally, good news on the distribution side of the business.
As the operator of a small family business, finding time to distribute the popular potato chips was a challenge for Rhett. And it’s always a challenge to get a new product out on shelves, no matter how popular with consumers. So Fox Family Potato Chips has a new approach. The Coca-Cola Bottling Company Of Northern New England Inc. has signed an agreement with Fox Family Potato Chips to be the only distributor in Aroostook County.
“We are excited to be able to offer such a great tasting chip with such a loyal local following alongside the refreshing taste of Coca-Cola,” commented local coke manager Tony Phillips.
The Fox Family has been in the potato business since the 1800s, first as growers and then as purveyors of a value-added potato product: chips.
Rhett began experimenting with handmade potato chips using Maine Russet potatoes, first in his home kitchen and then in his convenience store in Mapleton. He used his meat slicer to slice the potatoes just the way he liked them and then fried them by hand in a combination of canola and corn oil until they were the color he liked. The demand for his chips continued to grow. His customers raved that his chips had “real potato taste” unlike any other chip and were so addictive.
Rhett still slices and cooks his chips by hand with 100 percent Maine potatoes. His chips are trans-fat-free and have no artificial colors, ingredients or preservatives. The family is no longer in the store business, but rather have a building in Mapleton where the chips are produced and shipped. Fox Family Potato Chips are the only chip made in Maine and are available at select retailers or may be ordered by the case at foxfamilychips.com.