Cheetos

Cheetos were invented in 1948 by Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin, who cooked early test batches in the Frito Company's Dallas, Texas, research and development kitchen. The cheese-flavored snack sold quickly, but Doolin did not have the production or distribution capacity to support a nationwide launch. This led Doolin to partner with potato chip businessman Herman W. Lay for marketing and distribution, and Cheetos were introduced nationally in the U.S. in 1948, along with a potato product called Fritatos.[2] The success of Cheetos prompted Doolin and Lay to merge their two companies in 1961, forming Frito-Lay Inc.[3] At the time, Cheetos was one of four large snack food brands produced by the company, which had annual revenues of $127 million.[4] Frito-Lay merged with the Pepsi-Cola Company to form PepsiCo in 1965, prompting further distribution of Cheetos outside of North America.[5]

While Cheetos was the first snack food of its kind, competing products in the snack food category have since emerged—including Utz Cheese Curls, Herr's Cheese Curls and Wise Cheez Doodles, along with Planters' Cheese Puffs and Cheese Curls. Most of the competing cheese-flavored snacks are distributed in specific regions of the U.S., and as of 2010 Cheetos remains as the top-selling cheese puff in America.[3][6]

As of 2011, Cheetos are produced, marketed and distributed under three different PepsiCo operating divisions: PepsiCo Americas Foods (which includes Frito-Lay in the United States and Canada,[7] Sabritas in Mexico[8] and Latin Americas Foods in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela and Peru.[9]), PepsiCo Europe and PepsiCo Asia, Middle East & Africa.[10] PepsiCo also granted a license to the Strauss-Elite company to distribute the Cheetos snack. In 2010, worldwide annual sales of Cheetos totaled approximately $4 billion, making it the 11th-largest PepsiCo brand.[10]

A sample of Crunchy Cheetos

The first Cheetos product was Crunchy Cheetos, invented in 1948 in San Antonio, Texas. Crunchy Cheetos remained the brand's sole product for 23 years until the introduction of Cheetos Puffs in 1971. The baked varieties, otherwise known as Baked Cheetos, became available beginning in 2004. As of 2010, there are 21 different variants of Cheetos snacks distributed in the United States.[11] In addition to the original Crunchy Cheetos, Cheetos Puffs and Baked varieties are sold in alternate shape and flavor variations—including a spicy variety known as Flamin' Hot Cheetos.[12]

In the early 1990s, Cheeto released "Flamin' Hot Cheetos".[13] The variety was invented by a janitor, Richard Montañez, who observed that the brand did not have any products targeting Latinos.[13] The Washington Post would go on to call them "something of a cultural phenomenon",[14] with Newsweek noting that it "rejuvenated the brand" and would become a "central element in Cheetos marketing".[15]

Cheetos are among the snack varieties included in the Frito-Lay Munchies snack mix.

With the introduction of Frito-Lay's Natural line, Natural Cheetos were introduced in the mid-2000s, touting all-natural ingredients and real Wisconsin white cheddar cheese. They accompany other Frito-Lay products in the Natural line and compete in the market space occupied by other health-conscious snack foods, such as Pirate's Booty. The Natural brand was re-branded to Simply in 2014.[16]

Cheetos first entered Brazil in 1976,[17] followed by other countries such as Australia during the 1980s.[18] In 1994, Cheetos became the first American brand of snack food to be made and distributed in China.[19] As the distribution of Cheetos expanded outside the U.S. to include more than 36 different countries,[20] localized versions were produced to conform to regional tastes and cultural preferences.[21]

Frito-Lay conducted extensive testing before settling on flavors for the Chinese market, with ranch dressing, North Sea crab, smoked octopus and caramel being passed up for two flavors: Savory American Cream and Zesty Japanese Steak.[22] These flavors were produced as the result of focus group testing, in which the original Crunchy Cheetos did not test as well.[22][23] Strawberry Cheetos, a plain corn Cheeto coated in strawberry icing, were released in Japan in 2008.[24] In 2013, a Pepsi-flavored Cheeto was introduced in Japan, and a Mountain Dew-flavored variety was available in 2014.[25] In India, Cheetos Whoosh are sold, made of ingredients such as whole grain and vegetables.[26] In Pakistan Cheetos are available in six different flavors: Bites: Vegetable, Stars: Cream N' Herb, Ocean Safari: Cheese, X & O: Spicy Twist, Red Flavoured Mast and Ketchup.[27] The sole Cheetos product produced in Australia is Cheetos Cheese & Bacon Balls.[28] Cheetos come in many different colors, the most popular being orange and red.

In 2015, Frito-Lay released a limited edition cinnamon sugar-flavored snack called Sweetos to U.S. markets. Sweetos were the first sweet snack that Cheetos had released in the United States in the brand's 67-year history.[29]

In the first week of 2020, Frito-Lay began distributing "Cheetos popcorn".[30][31]

Factory producing Cheetos in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland

Cheetos are manufactured by blending corn and water. The germ of the corn is removed to prevent spoiling; the germless corn is then ground into cornmeal. Because the cornmeal lacks the nutrients provided by the germs, it is enriched by adding nutrients in order to increase its nutritional value. (Enriched cornmeal is found in the following flavors: Crunchy,[32] Puffs,[33] Flamin' Hot Crunchy,[34][35] Flamin' Hot Puffs,[36] Flamin' Hot Limon Crunchy,[37] XXTRA Flamin' Hot Crunchy,[38] Reduced Fat Flamin' Hot Puffs,[39] Reduced Fat Puffs,[40] and Cheddar Jalapeño Crunchy.[41]) The mixture is heated under pressure, and then extruded through a die. The texture of the snack is formed as a result of contact with hot air, causing steam in the mixture to expand and creating its characteristic texture. After oven-drying or frying, the product is then tumbled with the desired flavor components (the original Crunchy Cheetos are fried). The process takes approximately 19 minutes and each half hour an in-house lab team inspects and taste-tests each batch. At this point, the result of the inspection is determined by comparing each batch to product sent from Frito-Lay headquarters.[42] Other flavor and format variations such as Cheetos Puffs, Cheetos Paws, Cheetos Twists, Cheetos Balls, and Cheetos Whirls are all finished with a drying stage in large ovens.[43] As of 2010, Frito-Lay has 14 fried-Cheetos plants in 11 states throughout the United States.[42]

The first Cheetos mascot was the animated Cheetos Mouse, which debuted in early 1971. The Cheetos Mouse spoke with an upper-crust accent, and typically wore a three piece suit. He used the slogans "Chee-tos. Cheese that goes crunch!" and several years later, "Hail Chee-sar!". The mouse was seen in television commercials and print ads for Cheetos, until the character was phased out around 1979.

The Cheetos brand is commonly recognized by association with its second and current mascot, an anthropomorphic sly, smooth-voiced cartoon cheetah named Chester Cheetah. Chester first appeared in television commercials in 1986, known for concluding Cheetos advertisements with slogans, which have evolved over time. He used both "The cheese that goes crunch!" and "It ain't easy bein' cheesy" as slogans from 1986 to 1997, and then "Dangerously cheesy" from 1997 onwards.[44] In 2003, Chester was first rendered as a computer-generated character in the United States, while continuing to appear in a traditionally-animated form in some other countries where the brand is sold.[45]

Beginning in 2008, Cheetos advertising and promotion broadened in regards to age appeal, with a revised focus on an adult demographic. In this personification, Chester speaks with a mid-Atlantic accent and encourages people to use their Cheetos in acts of revenge or to solve problems.[45] In February 2009, Cheetos was the subject of its first Super Bowl commercial. In the US$3 million , 30 second advertisement, a "loud, chatty woman" is talking on her mobile phone at a restaurant. Chester the Cheetah persuades another customer to toss Cheetos onto the ground, attracting a flock of birds to drive away the obnoxious loud-talking customer.[46][47] The scenario depicted in this commercial exemplifies the adult-oriented themes of subversion and revenge, which continue to be prevalent in Cheetos advertisements produced since 2008.[45]

In 2009, Frito-Lay invited popular blog Boing Boing to feature online ads for Cheetos. The blog contracted Johannes Grenzfurthner (of monochrom) to create an artistic campaign for the product.[48]

On August 15, 2017, Frito-Lay announced the opening of its The Spotted Cheetah pop-up restaurant in New York, with dishes made with Cheetos with chef Anne Burrell. According to the Wall Street Journal, the restaurant's reserve spots quickly sold out.[49]