Potato chips. Who doesn’t love them? Chips aren’t only a favorite snack, they are good for business, expected to rake in $16,303 million this year. The market is expected to grow annually by 2.1 percent, according to Statista.
And in the array of potato chip products on the market, Symphony Chips is unique in many ways. It is one of a very few Black-owned chip companies worldwide. It is also run by a father and his two young daughters.
Symphony Chips are flavored with the company’s special seasoning. It’s actually a seasoning line the father, Dondre Anderson, launched first prior to the chip company.
“The premium blend of seasonings that we use has been a mainstay in our kitchen for years. Adapting the blend to complement what was otherwise a pretty simple potato chip batch turned out to be a hit among our family and friends. Now, we’re able to share our unique brand of potato chips with you, too,” according to the company’s website.
Anderson launched All A’s Spice Seasonings in 2010 and after promoting his seasonings on chips he decided to start his own chip company. “Our company started as a spice company, however people do not buy spices they cannot taste. Therefore, when we were able to get our product in to stores, we had to do in-store demos to allow people to try our spices. We put our spices on raw veggies and popcorn, then we had the idea to make homemade potato chips and the people all had the same reaction, ‘The spices are good, but where can we get a bag of these chips,’” he recalls. He enlisted his two daughters, Amina and Amari, and launched Symphony Chips.
After the company was up and running, Symphony Chips was approached by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2016. The organization wanted to make the chips, which are all-natural, gluten- and MSG-free, available for its patrons. The chip was a snack favorite during intermissions.
Now, you can find the Symphony Chips, currently available for wholesale and retail, all over Georgia as well as online.
This is definitely a family business and Anderson is passing on the spirit of entrepreneurship to his daughters. “I felt it was important for my children to have more than one option and more importantly, how to create their own opportunities so that they are truly independent,” he says.
And his daughters are learning to be businesswomen while handling their school duties. “It is a constant recalibration; as a new business is constantly changing, we have to change with it and a lot of times our school/work life becomes out of whack. So we have to adjust accordingly,” Amina says.
So why the name Symphony? “Simple, our grandfather believes every bite should be harmonious, which is why we call both our spices and our chips The Symphony!” Amari says.
While the trio has been enjoying the company’s success so far, they, like other small companies, face challenges. “The most challenging thing has been to remain open to change and new ideas,” Amari says. Moving forward and expanding are among their 2018 goals. “We also want to promote other Black-owned businesses; to continue to support our community; and promote our new flavors,” Amina says.
