Bickel's Potato Chip Company was started in 1954 by Mr. Luther Bickel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was a regional fa ... mily run business offering a unique "seared" potato chip in a variety of flavors. In 1998 Bickel's was purchased by Hanover Foods Corporation. Hanover Foods is the largest independently owned manufacturer of frozen, canned, fresh, and freeze-dried food products in the United States. To further strengthen its position in the salted snack category, in 2000 Hanover Foods purchased York Snacks and the Bon Ton Potato Chip facility in York, Pennsylvania. The companies were consolidated as "Bickel's Snack Foods, Inc." Bickel's is one of the few manufacturers that can offer a FULL LINE of salted snacks - potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, corn chips, cheese curls, popcorn, party mixes, and much more! Bickel's then acquired WEGE Pretzel Company of Hanover Pennsylvania in 2001 to strengthen our position with the manufacturing of pretzels in a variety of shapes and sizes. Bickel's Snack Foods is committed to being the number one salted snack producer for the future. Quality, consistency, and dedication to customer service keep us moving toward that goal. Bickel's name was then changed to Bickel's of York, Bon-Ton of York and WEGE of Hanover to better define it's snack food roots within the "snack capital of the world" in south central Pennsylvania. Bickel's then bought Troyer Farms located in Waterford, PA at the end of 2008. Troyer Farms is the only U.S. manufacturer of potato chips that grows its own potatoes. As a result, Troyer Farms can legitimately claim to produce the freshest chip in the country. Troyer Farms chips (or any other Troyer product) contain no preservatives. They are simply prime potatoes picked at their flavor peak, thinly sliced, cooked in pure vegetable oil and lighly salted just enough to complement their delicate potato goodness. read more