Learn More History About One of Minnesota’s Favorite Snacks

Each state has popular items that were born there. These are usually items that residents take pride in using because they feel that there’s a little bit of where they live in each package. 

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Minnesotans feel that way about “Old Dutch” potato chips. The snack is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.  

Carl Marx founded the chips when he lived in St. Paul in 1934. He chose the name “Dutch” because the Dutch people had a reputation of being clean. Mr. Marx put the work “Old” in front of the word “Dutch” to give the impression they chips had a long history. 

A couple living in St. Paul has discovered the house they live in is the home where Carl Marx began baking his chips all those years ago. 

Fox 9 in Minneapolis shared the story this week. Tom Mueller and Art Punyko moved into their home 28 years ago. Tom tells the story that after they moved in a man stopped by and said his uncle was Carl Marx and that he stated the chips in that house.  

Tom and Art recently retired and began to investigate the claim and learned that Marx owned the home during the Great Depression. Census records show the business Marx was manufacturing potato chips.  

The homeowners ordered a bronze plaque that now hangs in front of the home stating that the chips were born there. The story goes that Carl Marx would put the chips he made in wax paper bags once he found a recipe he liked and deliver those to the bags to local markets.  

Old Dutch is now headquartered in Roseville and is owned by the Aanenson family, who bought it from Carl Marx in the 1950’s and still own it today.  

Old Dutch are one of Minnesota’s favorite chips, but it also the 2nd best-selling chip in Canada as well.