All over Detroit, you’ll find shiny bags of Better Made chips in gas stations, grocery stores, bars, and even restaurants. Locals flock to these crinkly sacks of fried potatoes; their eyes dart to the regal-looking Better Made logo, a trademark that effectively acts as a stamp of approval. This year, on the heels of its 95th anniversary, the snack factory in the heart of the city remains vastly influential.
“Better Made’s legacy is the city of Detroit,” says Phil Gusmano, vice president of purchasing at Better Made Snack Foods for almost 30 years now. Better Made chips have been made in Detroit proper since 1930. Currently, 70% of the company’s employees live within a 5-mile radius of the east-side factory. “We’re the local, hometown chip,” says Gusmano, who also brags that Better Made buys as many products as it can locally. From the potatoes to the seasonings to the packaging, just about all of it comes from Michigan.
How does Better Made stay relevant after 95 years? How does it compete with larger chip conglomerates like PepsiCo, which produces Fritos, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, and Tostitos? Well, it adapts to the city’s changing palate. Better Made is always researching and developing new flavors. “We get ideas from customers; we get ideas from employees; we get ideas from our seasoning companies. We’ll listen to what people have to say,” Gusmano says.
Take the Rainbow chips, a cult favorite. According to Gusmano, the Rainbow chips started out as defects. Decades ago, factory workers would pick out the chips that were cooked too long, shove them in bags, and put them out for sale the next morning at the retail store. Word got around, and suddenly people were lining up for them first thing in the morning. The Rainbow chips became a snack commodity, and the Better Made crew knew they had to sell them formally.
The secret to the Rainbow chips is they’re made from potatoes that are bred to have a higher starch content. That extra starch means that when you fry the potato, the sugars caramelize, which gives the chips their darker, browner color.
During a recent tour of the Better Made facility, Gusmano offered me an Original chip right off the factory line and asked, “Are you ready to have potato chips ruined forever?” Tasting a fresh potato chip is a transcendent experience — implausibly fresh, warm, and brand new.
But Gusmano was wrong about one thing: Potato chips can’t be ruined. Not Better Made’s. They’re the hometown hero. Made by and for the people of Detroit. Luckily for us, the flavors just keep coming.
This story originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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