Dive Brief:
- Snyder’s-Lance, which considered moving Cape Cod Potato Chip production from Massachusetts to one of the snack maker’s other facilities, is now keeping the plant open and making a $20 million investment to expand and update its manufacturing capabilities, according to Food Manufacturing.
- The snack maker originally considered closing the Hyannis plant because it was outdated. The building, originally built in the mid-1980s, was said to be deteriorating with “parking areas, pedestrian entrances and truck loading areas posing a safety hazard,” the Cape Cod Times reported.
- Snyder's-Lance will add more than than 17,000 square feet to the facility, improve manufacturing and office space, as well as create better tour and retail experiences.
Dive Insight:
Products “Made in the USA” are big business right now. But sometimes, the value of hometown pride is even bigger. Such is the case with Cape Cod Potato Chips. After considering moving the brand from the Massachusetts town where it originated, Snyder’s-Lance is now keeping it there and instead investing in facility expansion. Everyone from the town councilor and local chamber of commerce to the chip maker’s employees and town residents couldn't be happier, according to reports.
In an email to the Cape Cod Times, a Snyder’s-Lance spokesman wrote, “The improvements at this facility would create operational efficiencies, as well as enhance the experience with the Cape Cod brand at our popular public tour.” The head of the town’s chamber of commerce agreed, telling the local paper, “The fact that they’re staying here is great news, especially because their brand is Cape Cod. It keeps them authentic and we love having that type of diversified company in our economy.”
That pretty much sums up the pride and joy of just about every city and small town in America that manufactures homegrown products — including Orville, Ohio-based Smucker's, Vermont's Ben & Jerry's and Hershey's chocolate. There is a great deal of value associated with a product's authenticity — a factor that's difficult to quantify.
In many cases, entire towns, as well as their economic development and tourism industries, have built up around local food manufacturing plants. One of the best case studies is what candy maker Hershey has done for a sleepy town in the middle of Pennsylvania. An entire Hershey’s Chocolate World and Hersheypark have built up around it. Budweiser also has recently tapped into local pride. In a salute to its roots and its manufacturing communities, Budweiser recently debuted bottles and cans featuring the names of the 11 states where its popular beer is produced.
This is not just about hometown pride, but about maintaining product authenticity as well. In fact, authenticity was found to be an important brand choice criterion among millennials, according to Conde Nast and Goldman Sachs' annual Love List Brand Affinity Index. Consumers place a lot of stock in products that remain classic, genuine and authentic. Many consider authentic products synonymous with trust.