Ballreich's acquired by Grippo's snacks

TIFFIN — Ballreich Snack Foods of Tiffin Monday announced it has been acquired by Cincinnati snack food manufacturer, Grippo's. A Ballreich's news release said the deal will enable Grippo's to enhance its productivity, brand portfolio and market reach while adding capacity to the Tiffin Ballreich plant and jobs to Seneca County. And Grippo's will retain the Ballreich brand. Both companies were founded more than 100 years ago and are industry leaders in their respective regions. Ballreich's was established in 1920 when Fred and Ethel Ballreich started making homemade potato chips in their garage on Ohio Street, and Grippo's has been family-owned and operated since 1919. Grippo's was started by Angelo and Emma Grippo in downtown Cincinnati as a manufacturer of sugar cones and pretzels. As they grew, each company broadened its offerings to include pretzels, flavored potato chips and pork rinds, among other products. "This is an exciting new chapter for all of us associated with Ballreich's, and a tremendous opportunity for Grippo's and our community as well," said Tom Miller, president of Ballreich Snack Foods. "Like Ballreich in Tiffin, Grippo's is an institution in Cincinnati and throughout the Ohio River Valley. They needed additional capacity to grow, and we not only have the physical resources, but also the highly-skilled workforce they will require to hit the ground running. "Plus, they intend to further ramp up production by bringing in new hires from our community," Miller said. "And significantly, they will continue promoting the Ballreich brand." "Bringing together the renowned history and tradition of Ballreich with Grippo's is a winning proposition all around," said Teri Baker, president of Grippo's, in the release. "First, it will allow our business to expand production northward to Seneca County, relying on the talent and experience of the current Ballreich team while adding more jobs to the Tiffin community. "It will also enable us to extend market awareness and strengthen the Grippo's and Ballreich brands, not to mention the 'Ohio Proud' manufacturing, quality and snack food innovation message into new territories." Baker is a fourth-generation Grippo ‒ one of the founders' great-grandchildren. The release said Grippo's (www.grippos.com) is the official chip of the Cincinnati Reds, Columbus Blue Jackets, University of Cincinnati Athletics, Xavier University Athletics, FC CincinnaƟ, Cincinnati Zoo and the Official Hometown Chip of the Cincinnati Bengals. The company's snacks are made daily, with no preservatives, and are available in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.