The Gibble's potato chip company threw in the towel just a few months after being sold to Gibble foods on December 1st of last year.
The local company was formed in 1959 and had been a local standout ever since along with the Utz brand out of Hanover PA.
A spokesperson for the former owners,Martins Pastry Shoppes,appeared to be stunned by the sale,although I am not sure how much of that was crocodile tears as more often than not,one has an idea of why another side wants to buy something in a business deal.Reading between the lines in the article,this could be the case of someone wanting to buy the assets and then "put their own stamp" on a new brand.
Mind you,this is incredibly stupid as said plan could have been implemented with more success had the Gibble's line been used to draw people to the new line.
Imaginze someone buying Pepsi and then shutting it down in order to manufacture a new soda for an example.
If this is the case,this is stupider than I can imagine..
However,this is more than an ode' to things that have been around for years and disappear,never to be seen again.
This has happened for years and as long as there are businesses to make items,they will be there to take them away.
It is more of a goodbye to the Gibble's chip from their locally famous Nibble with Gibble's slogan or their various colored bags for their products.
When I go back to Ohio,often I get requests to bring back Gibble's chips,much like I have my parents grab me some Jones chips from there when they go out.
The chips were that good.
The regular were my favorite of the local chips and the red hot was one certain to be loved.,
Their barbeque could have been a little better,but was not terrible.
My favorite thing to do with Gibble's chips was right after an Ohio trip and taking a bag of Gibble's Red Hot and mixing them with a Jones Salt and Vinegar package of chips into one bucket,shaking them up and letting the seasonings mix for a day or two before some,as Alton Brown would say, Good Eats.
Gibble's always bragged about using lard to fry their chips and although this likely made it among the least healthy on the supermarket rack,it sure allowed the taste of the chip to stand out with the elite of any chip around as well.
The saltiness of the chip cut through with every bite and the crunch was always firm and crisp.
As a weirdo,I also always liked the occasional "green" potato chip that slipped through into the bag from time to time.
They had an odd taste that for some strange reason appealed to me.....
Gibble's chips bring back another memory for me that I always associated with their brand.
I was never especially close with my grandfather here,but Pap always had Gibble's chips in the cupboard and Royal Crown cola stocked in their fridge.
For some reason,he refused to go into the local country store near my house (the still standing McNamee's),so when he needed something from there,he would call my house and as the oldest grandchild,I would go with him to the store to get his stuff,while he waited in the truck.
Always,he would add extra for me to get a pack of Topps cards and a bag of Gibble's.
It is my fondest memory that I have of a man that I loved,but didn't really know as a person.
It's funny what memories that products bring to us.
A chip company makes one think of a deceased relative and I would wager anyone somewhat close to us has a similar association if we think about it enough.
These are the connections that the things that we enjoy bring to our lives.
More than just taste or preference,it is what brings us together as family and friends and most of them come and go through our lives.
Thirty years from now,with some luck,I'll talking to my grandkids and maybe great grandkids by then,talking about defunct products from days gone by.
Bet on Gibble's being near the top of that list..
Photo Credit:Rachel Heimberger
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