Stacy's Pita Chips

In 1996, Stacy Madison and Mark Andrus began selling pita bread sandwiches out of their food cart, called Stacy's D'Lites, in Boston, Massachusetts.[3] Due to the popularity of the sandwiches, Stacy and Mark would over-order pita bread from a local bakery. Rather than wasting the extra bread, they sliced the pita into chips, seasoned them with cinnamon sugar or Parmesan, and baked the bread until it became crunchy. The chips were distributed for free while customers waited for their sandwiches to be made.[4]

As the popularity of the pita chips grew, Stacy and Mark began selling the chips alongside their sandwiches. In the winter, the harsh weather made the food cart inoperable. Stacy and Mark decided to fully transition to selling pita chips, an operation they could continue year-round, and chose the name Stacy's Pita Chips because they believed a woman's name would appeal more to customers.[3]

From 1997 to 1999, Stacy and Mark gave out samples of their chips in local grocery stores. They purchased a custom conveyor belt oven in 1999 which allowed for explosive growth and wholesale purchases. The business reached $1 million in sales in 2001 and $65 million in sales in 2005.[5]

In 2005, Stacy and Mark were approached with multiple acquisition offers from large snack food companies in the United States. They agreed to a $250 million sale to Pepsi Co. and would operate under their Frito-Lay snack food division.[6] Although Pepsi Co. was not the highest bidder for the business, Stacy and Mark believed Pepsi's operations and culture fit best with Stacy's Pita Chips.[3]

While scaling the business, Stacy and Mark married in 1997. Personal differences led to their divorce in 2001, however the divorce was amicable and Stacy and Mark agreed to split the business 50/50.[7]

In 2005, while Stacy and Mark were fielding offers for their business, the pita chip factory suffered a fire that affected 25% of the factory. A wall was built to separate the unaffected areas and the factory was able to maintain the majority of its operations.[3] Within a few weeks, the factory was fully repaired and the deal with Pepsi was able to close.

Stacy's Pita Chips are the original product under the Stacy product line. They are made by slicing pita bread into small pieces and baking them until they become crunchy. As of 2019, flavors include: Simply Naked (sea salt), Parmesan Garlic & Herb, Cinnamon Sugar, Fire Roasted Jalapeño, Multigrain, Toasted Cheddar, and Garden Veggie Medley. As of 2020, the product has changed to facilitate mass manufacturing. Unfortunately the character, flavor, sizes, shapes and textures of the original Stacy’s Pita Chips have been modified.[9]

Stacy's Pita Thins are thinner versions of the original chips and come in three flavors: Simply Naked, 5 Cheese, and Garlic & Herbs.[10]

Stacy's Bagel Chips are made by slicing bagels into small, thin pieces and baking them until they become crunchy. Currently, there are three flavors of Stacy's Bagel Chips: Simply Naked, Everything, and Toasted Garlic.[11]

Stacy's Cheese Petites are thins slices of cheese which are flavored and baked until crispy. Flavors include Romano With Garlic and Parmesan With Rosemary.[12]

Stacy's Organic Pita Chips are Non-GMO Project Certified and are free of artificial colors, flavors, or MSG. They come in Simply Naked flavor and Rosemary Garlic flavor.[13]