Tayto: Ireland's Most Famous Crisps - ConnollyCove (2024)

Updated On:June 21, 2024 by Ciaran Connolly

When you come to Ireland, you might notice something pretty much everywhere. This is Tayto, Ireland’s most loved and famous crisps. You can’t go to Ireland without trying a packet of the tasty Tatyo Crisps in many different flavours. Although their most popular favourite is their original—Cheese and Onion Tayto—you just can’t beat it. If you haven’t tried them yet on a trip to Ireland, it’s a must.

Surprisingly, many people are unaware of the global significance of Tayto crisps. Tayto crisps were the first-ever seasoned potato chips in the world, which was incredible for a small manufacturing company in Ireland at the time. With flavour and innovation, Tayto helped revolutionise the taste of crispsall around the globe.

So, we will take you through the incredible journey that brought Tayto crisps to the world, from its history to how the iconic crisps became a national treasure and one of the biggest-selling brands in Ireland.

The History of Tatyo

The remarkable history of Tayto begins in 1954 with the opening of the first Tayto crisp factory in Dublin. The original factory was opened by Tayto founder Joe ‘Spud’ Murphy. At that time, most of the crisps imported came from the UK and were unflavoured, although some had a small bag of salt within the crisp bag to help enhance flavours.

Murphy had spotted a unique opportunity in the Irish market to start creating Irish crisps, so he opened his crisp factory in the heart of Dublin. Joe Murphy was the genius behind the idea of seasoning crisps. These were, of course, the first-ever Cheese and Onion-Flavoured Crisps.

The Man Behind Tayto Crisps

Murphy’s love for crisps was one of the many reasons for his success and inventions. At the time, he found the crisp products on offer lacked flavour and creativity, which sparked him to create better flavours for the Irish people. And so he launched his own crisp company called ‘Tayto’ in the Republic of Ireland.

The name comes from Joe Murphy’s son, who pronounced ‘potato’ as ‘Tayto’ as a child, which soon became very clever in marketing campaigns. Tayto became known throughout Ireland as the equivalent word to crisps—a natural mark of the brand’s success. They also created Mr Tayto, the brand mascot, who became an iconic part of the brand and was included in many marketing campaigns.

Murphy started his crisp business on O’Rahilly’s Parade in Dublin with one van and eight employees. Many of them continued to work for Joe Murphy for an impressive 30 years.

Seamus Burke, one of Joe’s first employees, helped perfect the new inventive flavour of crisps. Burke experimented with many flavours and tastes before he came up with the much-loved cheese and onion flavour, which his boss Murphy deemed acceptable. The newly seasoned crisps were a success, and many companies worldwide sought to buy the Tayto techniques to do the same.

The biggest issue for Joe Murphy was how he would get his exciting new products on the market. He found a solution by connecting with the Findlater family, who owned 21 grocery markets around Ireland. The Findlater family took Murphy up on his offer to sell the crisps in their stores and agreed to sell them to other outlets as they had connections with the commercial travellers.

This was just the start of Murphy’s becoming one of Ireland’s best and most loved entrepreneurs and creating one of the most famous Irish brands, ‘Tayto.’

Joe Murphy’s Life

Murphy’s background is vital to understanding how he became a great businessman. Joe Murphy was born on 15 May 1923 in Dublin. He most likely got his entrepreneurial interests from his father, who owned a small building business.

Murphy left school at the age of 16 and went to work at the James J Fox and Co. branch in Dublin. They were cigar and cigarette sellers from London, and Murphy worked behind the shop counter. Murphy was ambitious even at a young age, and soon, the youngster rented a small office close to Grafton Street. Here, he began to use his talents to find a gap in the market that he could utilise for himself.

One of his great ideas was to start importing the popular British drink Ribena, which wasn’t available in Ireland at the time. This was an excellent success for Murphy, and he continued to find more gaps in the market that he could fill. He also successfully imported ballpoint pens to the country.

The Arrival of Tayto

His invention of Tayto cheese and onion came in the late 1950s, and the revolutionary crisps were a success not only at home but also abroad. Within two years, he had to move to bigger premises because of the demand for Tayto. Tayto continued to expand in 1960 because the sales of the first three flavours, cheese and onion, salt and vinegar, and smokey bacon, were massive.

Of course, Murphy’s innovation and marketing ideas were the most significant driving force behind Tayto. He became one of the first Irish businessmen to sponsor a half-hour talk show on Radio Eireann, during which he only advertised his products.

Another part of his success was renting a yellow neon sign for one of his shop premises in Dublin. The Tayto sign became a staple of the brand and one of Ireland’s most famous advertising symbols during the 1960s and ’70s.

Murphy even used his children in his marketing drive by sending them to school with stationery supplies and the Tayto logo included. His house was a massive hit during Halloween as local children knew they’d be given bags filled with Tayto crisps.

By the mid-’60s, Murphy was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Ireland, and he wasn’t afraid to enjoy his money. Murphy was often seen driving in a Rolls Royce and was known for being very kind with his tips. Many doormen around the country would fight to have the privilege of parking their cars.

Stakes in Tayto

A Chicago food chain, Beatrice Foods, bought a considerable stake in Tatyo in 1964. With this, the unstoppablesuccess of Tayto continued to flourish.

By the ’70s, Tayto had employed over 300 people, and in 72′ Murphy bought over the King Crisps company. He continued to buy into more companies, such as the Smiths Food Group factory in Terenure. At this point, Tayto was the first business in Ireland to make and market so-called “extruded snacks”.

In 1983, Murphy sold his stakes in Tayto and retired to a life in Spain, spending the next 18 years in Marbella. He is still celebrated as one of the world’s greatest crisps pioneers. Even today, Tayto is loved all around Ireland and afar.

Tayto Takeover by Ray Coyle

Until 2005, Tayto was owned by drinks giant Cantrell & Cochrane Group (C&C). When they closed their crisp factory, they outsourced production from Ray Coyle’s company, Largo Foods. The following year, Ray Coyle decided to buy Tayto and King brands in a deal valued at 68 million euros. The purchase helped to excel and transformed Coyle’s company forever.

Ray Coyle’s rise to the throne of Tayto is just as remarkable as Joe Murphy’s. He started as a potato farmer in the 1970s. After the potato prices collapsed, he was hugely indebted to the bank. He later devised an innovative idea to help with his financial struggles: holding a raffle to sell his farm.

He ended up selling over 500 hundred tickets for 300 Euro each. This attracted national attention to Ray Coyle, who was able to pay off his debts after selling the farm. Next, Coyle created his own crisp business ‘Largo Foods’ in County Meath. He purchased other popular brands, such as Perry and Sam Spudz, along with Tayto through his company. He also came up with the famous Hunky Dorys brand.

Coyle’s business became a vast snack empire that extended to Eastern Europe and Africa. It is estimated that Coyle produces over 10 million packs of crisps in Meath and Donegal in one week.

Tayto Park

Ray Coyle is also behind Ireland’s first and only theme park, which was completed based on the Tayto brand. Tayto has become a much-loved crisps brand and a tourist attraction due to the opening of Tayto Park. Coyle had always dreamed of opening up a theme park in Ireland and saw the demand and opportunity as it had been done before.

Tayto Park opened in 2010 after Coyle invested 16 million euros into the Irish park in Ashbourne, Co Meath. He built it close to the Tayto factory so that people could see how the delicious crisps are made.

Tayto Park offers an exciting mix of theme park rides, activity centres, exotic zoos, and educational facilities. In its first year of opening, more than 240,000 people came through its gates.

It was initially a high-risk project, but Coyle believed it would work well if it were done right. And so it did. 25,000 people visited the tourist attraction during the first Easter period. It grew to become the sixth most popular fee-paying attraction in Ireland. From 2011 onwards, Tayto Park has increased in visitors each year.

Tayto Park has become a firm favourite with families and children. Offering lots of fun rides and activities, the park unveils something new each season to keep the place asexciting as ever.

Tayto Northern Ireland

Travelling around the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, you might notice different packaging on the Tayto crisps. These are two other brands. Joe Murphy created the original Tayto, and two years later, the Hutchinson familygot the license of the name and its recipes to use in Northern Ireland.

They are two separate companies but simply have a similar range of products. There has always been a debate about which Tayto tastes better, north or south. People have made their arguments for both, but they both taste great.

Tayto: Biggest Brand in the North of Ireland

The Northern Irish Tayto has become the country’s most prominent brand of crisps and the third biggest in the United Kingdom. Like the Republic of Ireland brand, their signature flavour of crisps is Cheese and Onion.

The Northern Irish Tayto company is located in the Ulster Countryside of Tandragee in the Tayto Castle. They have been making the adore crisps for over 60 years. Only very few people know about the secret recipe passed down through generations.

You can even tour Tatyo Castle in Northern Ireland to see how they make the crisps, explore more of its exciting history, and try new products. Tayto Castle is astonishingly over 500 years old and was once the original home of the Might O’Hanlon clan.

On a tour of the castle, you can uncover all the exciting stories surrounding the Irish clan and learn about the history of Tayto crisps in Northern Ireland. It’s a great and fun experience if you want something to do in Northern Ireland.

Incredible Success of Tayto that keeps Going

Tayto is now a staple name in Irish life; it’s impossible to think of the country without associating it with ‘Tayto.’ They are without a doubt one of the best crisps brands in the world. Tayto proclaims that a lot of its success comes from continued support and engagement with its consumers.

Mr Tayto, the mascot, has helped tremendously. He’s one of the most recognisable characters and much loved by people of all ages. Mr Tayto is the embodiment of the brand. The character’s fun sense of humour has been at the forefront of many Tatyo marketing adverts, helping to create an emotional connection with viewers. Of course, the great taste of the crisps is a massive contributor to the success that doesn’t stop growing.

If you plan to visit Ireland, try some Tayto crisps and let us know what you think. We might be a bit biased in thinking they’re pretty irresistible. And we’ll let you settle the long debate of where have better-tasting Tayto crisps: the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

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