It all started with the idea of selling popcorn in Austria. Originally, the snack was produced in a cellar and the cooked popcorn was delivered to cinemas. The Viennese were initially less than impressed by the new product, but were eventually brought round by a mix of persistence, persuasion and creative ideas; in just a few short years, the Popcorn Company had branched out into manufacturing potato crisps and Kelly Ges.m.b.H. was founded shortly thereafter.
Quality was important to Kelly from the outset and also played a crucial role in their success; the potato crisps of the time were greasy and brown, but Kelly’s Chips were pitched as golden yellow and fat-free, in stark contrast to the competition. To this day, all Kelly products contain no artificial flavour enhancers or palm oil; they are fried in top-quality sunflower oil and 90% of the products are seasoned with natural flavourings.
Regionality was also an essential element, and the majority of the raw ingredients are still sourced from Austria. Under the Kelly’s and Soletti brands (a pretzel stick snack that turned 75 in 2024), the company processes some 12,000 tons of Austrian flour and approximately 27,000 tons of domestically grown potatoes every year. The crisps are also exclusively produced at two facilities in Austria before being flavoured with salt from Salinen Austria and paprika from Kotányi – both internationally successful Austrian companies.
Kelly’s inventiveness has found an outlet not only in their wide range of products but also in their packaging. “Kelly's AIRPACK®”, developed in 1999, might feel like a bag filled with ordinary air, but special packaging technology is at work; once the AIRPACK® has been filled with crisps, the air is replaced with a different mixture of gases and the bag is sealed. The advantage of this method is physically apparent – the crisps stay fresh and crunchy for longer, and are protected from crumbling.
The firm is now part of the European Intersnack Group. Things may have got off to a rocky start 70 years ago, but Kelly has succeeded in establishing American snack culture in Austria – mission accomplished!
