Curator’s Choice – Riley’s Crisp Factory
Riley’s crisp factory was established in Scunthorpe in 1947. Since then, the factory has been a significant local employer. The factory was established by Alfred Riley, who left his job as an electrician at Redbourn Steelworks after buying a potato crisp slicer from a chip shop trade magazine. The first factory was in Allenby Street, though the business soon moved to Colin Road.
From that potato crisp slicer, Riley’s grew to become one of the top 5 crisp companies in the country. In 1981 the company changed its name to Sooner Foods, making other snacks alongside crisps. After the company became part of Golden Wonder in 1992, Riley’s crisps were re-branded under the Golden Wonder logo. Today crisps and snacks are still made at the Colin Road factory by the Tayto company.
In this video, Collections Officer Rebecca Lucas, takes a closer look at one of the Riley’s crisps collection and the history of the company.
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