Kitchen Cooked merges with Utz Quality Foods

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FARMINGTON, Ill. – A central Illinois snack company is now partnering with a national brand.

Kitchen Cooked potato chips will still be made in Farmington, but the merger means big things for employees and those who appreciate a good snack.

“It’s very exciting, it’s great. This is an advantage for Kitchen Cooked. It really takes us to another level,” said Paul Blackhurst, Vice President of Kitchen Cooked.

Kitchen Cooked in Farmington is now owned by Utz Quality Foods. Vice-president of baked cuisine Paul Blackhurst said the merger will allow baked cuisine to push products to more places.

“Utz has facilities in Chicago and that opens up the possibility of moving product from them to here, and us to that market area. They are a big outfit across the Indiana area, it’s wide open to opportunities. The possibilities are endless,” Blackhurst said.

Most Kitchen Cooked employees currently work in Farmington and Bushnell, but the merger could mean everyone under one roof.

“The Bushnell plant will move to another plant, whether that happens here or at another of Utz’s manufacturing facilities has not yet been determined and there is no timeline for that,” said Blackhurst.

Blackhurst says buying the company opens doors to create more jobs and also gives Kitchen Cooked a bigger voice.

“If they’re growing in this market here or in this factory here, making more items, it’s not wanting to stay as it is, we’re here to grow and here to expand and move forward. It makes for greater market power,” Blackhurst said.

Kitchen Cooked and Utz Quality Foods have been around for about a century.

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