Boulder Canyon Natural Foods

What Boulder Canyon Natural Foods does

Boulder Canyon Natural Foods is a Boulder, Colorado-founded better-for-you salty snack brand established in 1994 by brothers John and Mark Maggio. The company manufactures kettle-cooked potato chips, wavy chips, tortilla chips, Canyon Poppers corn puffs, and beef jerky, with a differentiating cooking-oil portfolio spanning avocado oil, olive oil, and beef tallow as alternatives to conventional seed oils. Many SKUs carry Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten-Free, and Kosher certifications.

Since 2017, Boulder Canyon has operated as a wholly-owned brand of Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE: UTZ), with its operating address at 900 High Street, Hanover, PA 17325. The brand is positioned as the No. 1 salty snack brand in the natural channel and "America's fastest growing salty snack brand," with products distributed through natural food retailers and mainstream grocery chains, alongside direct-to-consumer availability via Amazon and the Utz online storefront.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time consumer packaged goods sales at standard retail price points. Recent growth drivers include the Boulder Batch limited-edition platform (Agave Sriracha, Mike's Hot Honey, Buffalo Ranch, Grillo's Pickle), a Core-tier co-development with Grillo's Pickles, a Minor-tier partnership with Mike's Hot Honey, and trade-press validation via 2026 Good Housekeeping Snack Awards and People Food Awards wins. The brand's stated operating geographies are limited to the United States.

Name

Boulder Canyon Natural Foods

Legal name

Utz Quality Foods, Inc.

Website

https://bouldercanyon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Boulder Canyon Natural Foods is a Boulder, Colorado-founded better-for-you salty snack brand (kettle chips, tortilla chips, puffs, beef jerky) cooked in avocado, olive, or beef tallow oils, operating since 2017 as a wholly-owned brand of Utz Brands, Inc. and serving health-conscious consumers through natural and mainstream grocery retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Salty Snack Foods

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified) (CRADABAM), Jerky & Meat Snacks (CRADABAK)

Keywords

• Kettle cooked chips
• Natural snack foods
• Avocado oil chips
• Gluten free snacks
• Better for you snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods Sales: Boulder Canyon generates revenue through direct sales of packaged snack products including kettle chips, wavy chips, tortilla chips, canyon poppers, and beef jerky. Products are sold through retail grocery stores, natural food channels, Amazon, and the company's own online storefront. Revenue is derived from one-time consumer purchase transactions at retail price points.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Boulder Canyon Natural Foods manufactures and sells better-for-you salty snack products including kettle-cooked potato chips, wavy chips, tortilla chips, corn-based Canyon Poppers, and beef jerky. Products are kettle-cooked in small batches using premium oils (avocado, olive, beef tallow) rather than conventional seed oils, and carry Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten-Free, and Kosher certifications. The brand also offers limited-edition Boulder Batch small-batch flavors developed in partnership with other food brands.

Product overview

Boulder Canyon Natural Foods is a snack food company founded in 1994 and acquired by Utz Brands in 2017. The company offers a portfolio of better-for-you snack products including Kettle Chips (thick-cut, slow-cooked in various oils including avocado, olive, and beef tallow), Wavy Chips (ridged varieties), Canyon Poppers (corn-based puffs), Boulder Batch (limited-edition small-batch flavors), Tortilla Chips (made with avocado oil), and Beef Jerky (protein-rich snacks). The product line emphasizes clean ingredients, gluten-free options, Non-GMO verification, and cooking with premium oils rather than seed oils. The company positions itself as America's fastest growing salty snack brand in the natural channel, with products available nationwide at natural and grocery retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Boulder Batch: Limited-edition small-batch product line featuring bold, seasonal flavors such as Agave Sriracha, Mike's Hot Honey, Buffalo Ranch, and Grillos Pickle kettle chips, as well as Sweet Spicy Chili tortillas.
• Boulder Canyon Beef Jerky
• Canyon Poppers

Products and services

• Boulder Canyon Kettle Chips Thick-cut, slow-cooked potato chips in multiple varieties including avocado oil, olive oil, and beef tallow bases, plus classic and lightly salted options. The original Boulder Canyon product, marketed for premium crunchy snacking.
• Boulder Canyon Wavy Chips Ridged thick-cut potato chips made with avocado oil, available in Sea Salt, Cheddar & Sour Cream, and Grillo's Pickles varieties; ridges are designed to hold more flavor.
• Boulder Canyon Canyon Poppers Corn-based puff snacks made with premium avocado oil, available in White Cheddar and Jalapeño Ranch flavors.
• Boulder Canyon Tortilla Chips Corn-based tortilla chips cooked in premium avocado oil, available in Sea Salt, Lime Sea Salt, Zesty Ranch, Blue Corn, Nacho Cheese, and Chili Lime flavors; certified gluten-free, Non-GMO Project Verified, and kosher.
• Boulder Canyon Beef Jerky Protein-rich beef jerky made with all-American beef, offered in Outdoor Original, Summit Sweet & Spicy, and Trailhead Teriyaki varieties, providing 10–11g of protein per serving. Targeted at outdoor and active lifestyle consumers.
• Boulder Canyon Boulder Batch Limited-edition small-batch product line featuring bold, rotating seasonal flavors including Agave Sriracha, Mike's Hot Honey, Buffalo Ranch, Grillo's Pickles, and Sweet Spicy Chili tortilla chips; developed in partnership with other food brands.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mike's Hot HoneyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Boulder Canyon partnered with Mike's Hot Honey for limited-edition kettle-style chips debuting in April 2025 at Natural Products Expo West. This was part of the Boulder Batch limited edition series.
• Grillo's PicklescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoulder Canyon partnered with Grillo's Pickles, a cult-favorite pickle brand founded in 2008 in Boston, to create Wavy Grillo's Classic Dill Pickle Flavored Chips. The partnership resulted in a Good Housekeeping 2026 Snack Awards winner. Grillo's expanded with a new production facility in Indiana in 2025 and maintains distribution in over 31,000 stores nationwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Late July Snacks: Late July is a better-for-you snack brand (organic, gluten-free chips and crackers) with a similar natural-channel positioning and overlapping product formats including tortilla and potato chips.
• Jackson's Honest: Jackson's Honest pioneered the use of alternative cooking oils (coconut, avocado) in chips — a near-identical differentiation playbook to Boulder Canyon's avocado oil and beef tallow positioning.
• Siete Foods: Siete is a fast-growing better-for-you chip brand (grain-free tortillas and chips) competing in the same natural and premium grocery aisles with comparable health-conscious consumer targeting.
• Kettle Brand: Kettle Brand is the most direct competitor in kettle-cooked potato chips, operating a similar premium positioning across natural and mainstream channels and frequently compared head-to-head with Boulder Canyon on shelf.
• Cape Cod: Cape Cod is a long-established kettle-cooked potato chip brand competing in the same premium chip category at mass retailers, directly contesting Boulder Canyon for better-for-you chip shelf space.

Broad incumbents

• Frito-Lay (PepsiCo): Frito-Lay is the dominant salty snack incumbent (Lay's, Kettle Brand, Ruffles, Tostitos) and competes broadly with Boulder Canyon across mainstream grocery, leveraging massive distribution and marketing scale.
• Utz Brands: Utz Brands (NYSE: UTZ) is Boulder Canyon's parent company and also operates a portfolio of competing salty snack brands (Utz, Zapp's, On The Border) that overlap with Boulder Canyon on shelf and compete for internal capital and focus.

Emerging players

• Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks: Pipcorn is a better-for-you snack brand offering heirloom corn-based snacks (including chips and popcorn) in the same natural channel and better-for-you consumer segment as Boulder Canyon.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bouldercanyonfoods

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Boulder Canyon Natural Foods