Steve Bernard
Encyclopedia
Steve Bernard was an adventurer and businessman who founded Cape Cod Potato Chips
.
, Bernard attended the University of Notre Dame
, where he earned a degree in economics. A restless adventurer, he spent the decade following his graduation crossing the country by hitchhiking, in Alaska
fighting forest fires and sailing to the Caribbean
, working with chickens and catching tuna, as well as installing car sun roofs.
that could reach tourists, an industrial potato slicer he had bought for $3,000 and almost no knowledge of the snack food business other than what he learned in a week-long course on potato chip making at Martin's Potato Chips
in Thomasville, Pennsylvania
.
Unlike typical commercial brands made using a continuous frying process, in which potato slices travel through a tub of oil on a conveyor belt, Cape Cod chips are cooked in batches in kettles, frying them in a shallow vat in oil while stirring with a rake, producing a crunchier chip. Snack Food Association president James A. McCarthy noted that Bernard "didn't invent the kettle chip, but he was involved in bringing it back to prominence."
The company struggled for months after it opened on July 4, 1980. The following winter a car crashed through the front window of the store, almost hitting his daughter. An insurance payment and publicity from the accident helped tide the company over until the following summer, by which time business was booming, and the company's chips were being sold through a number of supermarket chains.
The company was acquired by Anheuser-Busch
in 1985, and operated as a division of its Eagle Snacks
unit. Sales of the chips were up to 80,000 bags a day by the end of the following year, reaching the entire East Coast
, with sales of $16 million annually. Bernard bought the company and its factory back from Anheuser-Busch in 1996. Snack food company Lance Inc.
bought the company from Bernard in 1996, by which time annual sales had reached $30 million.
A resident of Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
and Sanibel, Florida
, Bernard died at age 61 on March 7, 2009 in Hyannis, Massachusetts
due to pancreatic cancer
. He was survived by his wife, daughter and two grandchildren, as well as three brothers and a sister.
Cape Cod Potato Chips
Cape Cod Potato Chips is a snack foods company most famously known for their brand of potato chips. The company is headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod...
.
Biography
Born on August 25, 1947 in Concord, New HampshireConcord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, Bernard attended the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, where he earned a degree in economics. A restless adventurer, he spent the decade following his graduation crossing the country by hitchhiking, in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
fighting forest fires and sailing to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, working with chickens and catching tuna, as well as installing car sun roofs.
Cape Cod Potato Chips
With the idea of offering healthier foods made with little processing, his wife, Lynn, had started a natural foods store in the 1970s. Bernard pursued adding potato chips to the mix after tasting a natural potato chip from a successful company based in Hawaii. In 1980, he sold his auto parts business and established Cape Cod Potato Chips with an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) storefront in Hyannis, MassachusettsHyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...
that could reach tourists, an industrial potato slicer he had bought for $3,000 and almost no knowledge of the snack food business other than what he learned in a week-long course on potato chip making at Martin's Potato Chips
Martin's Potato chips
Martin's Potato Chips is a manufacturer of potato chips, popcorn, and other salted snack foods. Martin's headquarters is located in south-central Pennsylvania, at 5847 Lincoln Highway West in Thomasville; the company distributes to retailers in Pennsylvania and Maryland. It was founded by Harry and...
in Thomasville, Pennsylvania
Thomasville, Pennsylvania
Thomasville is an unincorporated community in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, west of the city of York. Its schools are part of the Spring Grove Area School District, and the town is home to Martin's Potato Chips. Thomasville is located in Jackson Township on the Lincoln Highway, U.S....
.
Unlike typical commercial brands made using a continuous frying process, in which potato slices travel through a tub of oil on a conveyor belt, Cape Cod chips are cooked in batches in kettles, frying them in a shallow vat in oil while stirring with a rake, producing a crunchier chip. Snack Food Association president James A. McCarthy noted that Bernard "didn't invent the kettle chip, but he was involved in bringing it back to prominence."
The company struggled for months after it opened on July 4, 1980. The following winter a car crashed through the front window of the store, almost hitting his daughter. An insurance payment and publicity from the accident helped tide the company over until the following summer, by which time business was booming, and the company's chips were being sold through a number of supermarket chains.
The company was acquired by Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
in 1985, and operated as a division of its Eagle Snacks
Eagle snacks
Eagle snacks was the brand name for snack food originally marketed by the Anheuser-Busch company.-History:Anheuser-Busch marketed various snack foods, which typically were bite size pretzels, cheese snacks, etc. that were distributed to bars and airlines. The snacks were in various shapes,...
unit. Sales of the chips were up to 80,000 bags a day by the end of the following year, reaching the entire East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, with sales of $16 million annually. Bernard bought the company and its factory back from Anheuser-Busch in 1996. Snack food company Lance Inc.
Lance Inc.
Lance, Inc. is an American snack food company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.They manufacture snacks such as:*Captain's Wafers*Toastchee Crackers*Nekot cookies*Gold-N-Chees crackers*Cape Cod Potato Chips*Tom's Potato Chips*Archway Cookies...
bought the company from Bernard in 1996, by which time annual sales had reached $30 million.
Personal
Bernard started a sandwich shop, which made croutons from leftover bread. This led to the creation of Chatham Village Foods, which manufactured croutons, a company he later sold to the T. Marzetti Company. Lured out of "retirement" by daughter, Nicole, they together co-founded Late July Organic Snacks, a company that produces organic cookies and crackers, in 2001.A resident of Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
Marstons Mills is a village in the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts. It was founded by the Marston Family in 1648. They built grist mills along the Marstons Mills River, hence the name of the village. It is primarily residential, located on Route 28, and rural in nature...
and Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on Sanibel Island. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 6,066. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Bernard died at age 61 on March 7, 2009 in Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...
due to pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. He was survived by his wife, daughter and two grandchildren, as well as three brothers and a sister.