The Food That Built America Snack Sized Season 1 Episode 13 When Frito Met Lay

When Frito Met Lay is the 13th and final episode of the first season of The Food That Built America Snack Sized. This episode tells the story of how two legendary snack giants, Frito and Lay, came together to create one of the most iconic snack combinations of all time - Fritos and Lay’s potato chips.

The episode takes us back to the early 1930s, when the country was in the midst of the Great Depression. Times were tough, and people were looking for inexpensive ways to feed their families. That’s when two entrepreneurs, Charles Elmer Doolin and Herman W. Lay, saw an opportunity to provide an affordable, tasty snack.

Doolin was the creator of Fritos, a corn-based snack that he had stumbled upon while exploring San Antonio. Lay, on the other hand, was running his own snack business, selling potato chips made in his kitchen. The two men had a lot in common - they were both visionaries and risk-takers who were willing to do whatever it took to succeed.

Doolin and Lay first crossed paths in the mid-1930s, when Doolin’s Fritos were just starting to gain popularity. Lay was impressed by the success that Doolin had achieved, and he saw an opportunity to collaborate with him. The two men started working together, with Lay distributing Fritos alongside his own potato chips.

But it wasn’t until the early 1960s that the two snacks were officially merged into one product - Fritos and Lay’s. This was a game-changer for the snack industry, as it brought together two of the most popular snack brands and created a product that was greater than the sum of its parts.

The episode goes behind the scenes to show us how the Fritos and Lay’s merger came about, and the challenges that Doolin and Lay faced along the way. We learn about the innovation and marketing strategies that they used to make their product a success, and how they managed to stay ahead of their competitors.

Overall, When Frito Met Lay is a fascinating episode that tells the story of how two snack pioneers created a product that would become a staple in households across America. It’s a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation, and a reminder of the entrepreneurial spirit that has helped to shape the snack industry into what it is today.