At Frito-Lay, we’re celebrating a big milestone this month. In September 1961, Dallas-based Frito Co., founded by C.E. Doolin, and Atlanta-based H.W. Lay & Co., founded by Herman Lay, merged to form Frito-Lay, Inc. (Doolin and Lay are shown here with some of their original chip-making equipment.) The goal of the companies, which both started as small, one-man operations, was to create a national reach for their popular snacks. They soon achieved that goal and more, with the company continuing to grow, building new plants, reaching more and more retailers and becoming a pioneer in new kinds of packaging, advertising and manufacturing.
We’re celebrating our “golden anniversary” with employees this week by looking back at different parts of the company’s past – from the original merger in 1961, to coming together with Pepsi in 1965 to form PepsiCo, to launching Doritos in 1966 and Tostitos in 1981, to our advertising icons such as Baby Horton and W.C. Fritos, and much more.
When it comes to company history, though, I’m always struck by how much knowledge and many fond memories not only our employees but even those outside the company have of Frito-Lay. 
Nearly every time I tell someone I’ve just met that I work for Frito-Lay, he or she tells me a story about their favorite Frito-Lay snack or commercial – from Baby Boomers recalling the Cheetos Mouse or Lay’s ads starring Bert Lahr to sports fans remembering when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Bird were in our advertising to political junkies laughing about Mario Cuomo and Ann Richards appearing together in a Doritos commercial. It’s a huge source of pride for our employees that our snacks and ads have become icons of American culture across generations, and I think I speak for everyone at the company when I say I never get tired of hearing our fans share their memories.
So, do you have a favorite Frito-Lay memory? Whether it’s a recipe your mom used to make with Fritos, a favorite Cracker Jack prize, an unforgettable Lay’s or Doritos commercial, or anything else, I’d love to hear about it!
In honor of our 50th anniversary, Executive Chef Stephen Kalil created a special Fritos Pie Remix using Lay’s Classic potato chips as the extreme ingredient. Check it out!
