Middletown
FOOD & DRINK
Centennial Iowa Snacks: Unlike a certain chip giant, Sterzing’s in Burlington has put quality over quantity since the ’30s
Barney Sterzing never meant to get into the potato chip business. In 1933, when he started the Burlington company that produces the iconic chips that bear his family name, it was the Sterzing Candy Company. But summers in Burlington are hot, and keeping a company going in the midst of the Great Depression was hard enough without its products disintegrating during peak snacking season. So, Barney started selling potato chips in summer in addition to his candy. Potatoes, after all, don’t melt.
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