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A Few Surprising (but True) Facts About Cheetos

Ah, Cheetos.

Do you know that one snack that after grabbing a few pieces, its rich coating of cheese starts to fall on your clothing?

Yes, I’m sure we have all fallen under the delicious cheddar spell of the Cheeto chip at one point in our life, but while licking clean the evidence on your hands, did you ever stop to wonder how they came to be? Well, you’re in luck.

No matter if you prefer the original, puffed, or hot and spicy flavour, we’ve got some crazy facts behind this cheesy snack giant, you’re just going to have to hear first-hand.

So, stick around and let’s dip into the Cheetos universe and learn a few crazy, but true, facts about everyone’s favourite delicious Chips.

Cheetos Were Invented by Accident

There was no famous inventor or teams of flavour scientists saying, ‘I’ve got it, I’ve got the secret formula!’, and then suddenly we have Cheetos. Instead, Cheetos was a result of a cleaning accident.

A cleaning company in Wisconsin was cleaning the animal feed machines and added moist corn to the grinder. The sheer heat from the friction from the grinders’ movements puffed up the mixture creating the first Cheetos base.

The owner of the cleaning company, Charles Elmer Doolin, took that puffed cornmeal, seasoned it, and created the first Chee-tos.

Cheetos Flavours Span the World

In 1948 the original Chee-tos were produced and remained the only formulation of the brand until 1971 with the introduction of Cheetos Puffs. Later, in 2004, Baked Cheetos followed, but this would not mark the end of the flavour map.

Cheetos production facilities expand to over 22 different countries and have been produced in an array of foreign-inspired flavours. Some of these include; ketchup in Poland, strawberry in Russia and Japanese steak flavour that is oddly enough served in China.

A Janitor Gave Cheetos Their Spicy Side

Richard Montanez gave spice to the famous brand and gained a corporate office in return.

When a faulty machine ejected cheese puffs without seasoning, Montañez, a janitor at the time, took the puffs home and sprinkled them with chilli powder.

He credits the idea to street vendors that used to dust street corn with chili powder and lime juice.

Montañez, realising his opportunity, pitched the idea directly to the PepsiCo CEO, Roger Enrico, who in turn gave him a few weeks to prepare a full pitch.

Armed with a quick study of marketing, a sample bag of the product and his wits, Montañez gave a pitch so good he was propelled to a marketing director role and Spicy Cheetos were invented.

Now that you hear all the funny mishaps that went into making an all-time favourite snack, don’t you just want to eat and buy flavoured Cheetos?

At The Lolli Shop, we stock an array of Cheetos flavoured chips that you can try, including:

12th Aug 2022 the lolli shop

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