Who Owns Ruffles?

Ruffles potato chips trace their origins back to 1958, when Bernhardt Stahmer developed the distinctive ridged potato chip and trademarked the name. The ridged design wasn't merely aesthetic – it provided structural strength that made the chips approximately twice as strong as conventional flat chips, making them ideal for supporting hearty dips without breaking. Initially marketed with the tongue-twisting slogan "RRRuffles have RRRidges," the brand quickly established itself as a unique offering in the snack market.

The H.W. Lay & Company acquired the rights to Ruffles in the early 1960s, prior to the historic 1961 merger between H.W. Lay & Company and the Frito Company that formed Frito-Lay. When PepsiCo subsequently merged with Frito-Lay in 1965, Ruffles became part of what would develop into one of the world's largest food and beverage corporations. This corporate backing provided Ruffles with expanded distribution capabilities and marketing resources that accelerated the brand's growth throughout the late 1960s and 1970s.

The 1970s and 1980s saw Ruffles establish itself as a distinct brand personality within the PepsiCo portfolio, with advertising that emphasized the structural advantage of ridges for dipping. During this period, Ruffles began its flavor expansion beyond the original salted variety, introducing Sour Cream & Onion in 1974 and Cheddar & Sour Cream in 1979, varieties that remain among the brand's best-sellers today.

A significant innovation came in 1991 with the introduction of Ruffles Reduced Fat, responding to growing consumer health consciousness. This was followed by the launch of Ruffles Wow! in 1998, made with the controversial fat substitute olestra, which provided the taste of regular chips but with no fat. Despite initial commercial success, concerns about olestra's side effects led to the product's discontinuation by the early 2000s.

The early 2000s marked Ruffles' expansion into more bold and experimental flavors, including the introduction of Ruffles Flavor Rush with enhanced seasoning application technology. In 2008, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Ruffles launched several limited-edition heritage flavors and packaging designs that paid homage to its original branding.

A pivotal strategic shift occurred in 2017 when Ruffles began pursuing more targeted marketing partnerships aimed at specific consumer demographics. This approach culminated in 2020 with Ruffles becoming the Official Chip of the NBA, a partnership that has since expanded significantly. This relationship has spawned multiple player-endorsed flavors, beginning with the Anthony Davis Ruffles Lime & Jalapeño flavor in 2021 and continuing with signature flavors from LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and other NBA stars through 2025.

In 2023, Ruffles launched its "Own Your Ridges" global marketing campaign, celebrating individuality and authenticity in parallel with the chip's distinctive ridged texture. The campaign represented a shift toward values-based marketing that resonated particularly with younger consumers.

Most recently, in late 2025, Ruffles introduced its innovative "Flavor Swap" program, where its ridged platform served as the base for borrowed flavors from other PepsiCo brands, including a limited-edition Doritos Cool Ranch-flavored Ruffles that became the brand's most successful limited-time offering to date. This cross-portfolio innovation exemplified PepsiCo's strategy of leveraging its diverse snack brands to create novel consumer experiences.