SunChips
SunChips is a PepsiCo/Frito-Lay-owned brand of wavy whole grain snack chips sold nationally through US grocery and convenience retailers, serving mainstream consumers seeking better-for-you snack options across flavors including Harvest Cheddar, Garden Salsa, Original, and a new black-bean Fiber line.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersDallas, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SunChips does
SunChips is a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand of wavy-shaped whole grain snack chips, owned and operated by Frito-Lay North America, Inc., a division of PepsiCo. Introduced in 1991, the brand pioneered the whole grain chip category with a distinctive wavy chip shape and a flavor portfolio spanning Original, Harvest Cheddar, Garden Salsa, Honey BBQ, and French Onion. SunChips recently expanded with a SunChips Fiber sub-line featuring whole grain and black bean snacks in Spicy Jalapeno and Southwestern Queso variants. All products are marketed as no-artificial-flavors, heart-healthy snacks certified by the Whole Grains Council, with qualifying SKUs carrying the "100% WHOLE GRAIN" designation at 16g+ whole grains per serving.
SunChips' product technology centers on a proprietary wavy chip formulation designed to deliver crunch and flavor, whole grain ingredient sourcing certified by the Whole Grains Council, and a no-artificial-flavors formulation standard across all flavors. The portfolio spans five core whole grain SKUs and two newer whole-grain-plus-black-bean Fiber SKUs, with registered trademarks covering the SUNCHIPS brand, HARVEST CHEDDAR flavor, GARDEN SALSA flavor, and the SUNBELIEVABLY GOOD tagline.
The business model is traditional mass-market CPG retail: SunChips generates revenue through one-time purchase sales of packaged snack chips distributed through retail grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores across the United States. The brand serves general consumer snackers — mainstream shoppers seeking flavorful chips with whole grain nutritional benefits — including health-conscious snackers, families, and recipe-driven consumers who use SunChips as a breading or ingredient in dishes like chicken tenders and meatballs. Marketing is centered on recipe content, social sharing, and PepsiCo's Product Facts nutritional transparency platform, all leveraging Frito-Lay's extensive distribution infrastructure. Pricing is set at retail by individual stores and is not publicly disclosed.
SunChips firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SunChips
- Legal name
- Frito-Lay North America, Inc.
- Website
- https://sunchips.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- SunChips is a PepsiCo/Frito-Lay-owned brand of wavy whole grain snack chips sold nationally through US grocery and convenience retailers, serving mainstream consumers seeking better-for-you snack options across flavors including Harvest Cheddar, Garden Salsa, Original, and a new black-bean Fiber line.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SunChips industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Packaged Salty Snacks
- NAICS
- Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty Snack Foods Manufacturing (Ethnic/Regional, Gourmet, Functional) (AFAKAIAO)
Keywords
Where SunChips is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dallas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
SunChips business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Retail Snack Sales: SunChips generates revenue through the sale of packaged snack chips to consumers via retail grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Products are sold as one-time purchase items at various price points depending on retail location and package size.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
SunChips product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SunChips manufactures and sells wavy-shaped whole grain snack chips under two lines: the original SunChips portfolio (Original, Harvest Cheddar, Garden Salsa, Honey BBQ, French Onion) and the newer Fiber line combining whole grains with black beans (Spicy Jalapeno, Southwestern Queso). Products are sold as packaged shelf-stable snacks through grocery and retail channels in the United States, targeting everyday consumers seeking better-for-you snack options.
Product overview
SunChips is a line of wavy-shaped whole grain snacks by Frito-Lay North America, a division of PepsiCo. The portfolio consists of two main product lines: the core SunChips Original line featuring five flavors (Original, Harvest Cheddar, Garden Salsa, Honey BBQ, and French Onion) made with 100% whole grains and no artificial flavors; and the newer SunChips Fiber line featuring whole grain and black bean snacks in Spicy Jalapeno and Southwestern Queso flavors that deliver a good source of fiber. All products share the distinctive wavy chip shape and are positioned as heart-healthy snacks certified by the Whole Grains Council.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SUNCHIPS Harvest Cheddar Flavored Whole Grain Snacks
Companies that use SunChips
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
SunChips technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
SunChips partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Frito-Lay North America, Inc.coreSunChips is a brand owned and operated by Frito-Lay North America, Inc., which is a division of PepsiCo. Frito-Lay manufactures, distributes, and markets the SunChips brand as part of its portfolio of snack products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
SunChips competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kettle Brand: Kettle Brand produces kettle-cooked potato chips sold in US natural and conventional grocery channels. It competes for the same better-for-you, premium chip shopper and offers similar flavor rotation and clean-ingredient positioning that pressures SunChips' differentiation.
- Bare Snacks: Bare Snacks makes baked apple, banana, and coconut chips sold as crunchy better-for-you snacks in US grocery. Owned by PepsiCo (same parent), it competes for the same health-conscious snack occasion as SunChips and offers a useful benchmark for PepsiCo's better-for-you snack portfolio strategy.
- Late July Snacks: Late July produces organic tortilla chips, snack crackers, and popcorn in US grocery with a clean-ingredient and organic positioning. It overlaps SunChips in the better-for-you snack aisle and targets a similar health-leaning consumer seeking whole-grain alternatives to conventional chips.
- Popchips: Popchips is a better-for-you popped snack chip brand selling flavored whole-grain and potato-based chips through US grocery and online channels. It directly competes with SunChips in the 'better-for-you chip' set with overlapping flavors (BBQ, cheddar) and a similar health-positioned value proposition.
Broad incumbents
- Tostitos: Tostitos is Frito-Lay/PepsiCo's tortilla chip brand with whole-grain variants (Tostitos Whole Grain) competing head-to-head with SunChips' corn-based whole-grain offerings. It is the most direct substitute in the corn chip category within PepsiCo's portfolio.
- Lay's: Lay's is Frito-Lay/PepsiCo's flagship potato chip brand and directly comparable as a same-portfolio salty snack competitor targeting the same grocery channel with mass-market chips. Useful for understanding shelf-share dynamics within PepsiCo and as the closest internal substitute for SunChips.
- Stacy's Pita Chips: Stacy's is Frito-Lay/PepsiCo's baked pita chip brand sold in US grocery. It competes for the same snack occasion as SunChips with a similar better-for-you, whole-grain narrative and illustrates how PepsiCo operates multiple chip sub-brands in adjacent shelf sets.
- Mission Foods: Mission is the leading US tortilla and wraps brand, with whole-wheat and chip variants that overlap SunChips' grain-based chip set. It competes for the same better-for-you, whole-grain chip shopper across grocery and foodservice channels.
- Pringles: Pringles is Kellogg's (soon Kellanova / Mars) shelf-stable stacked potato chip brand sold globally in US grocery and convenience. It competes for the same single-serve crunchy chip occasion as SunChips and represents a major branded competitor for salty snack share of stomach.
Emerging players
- Quaker Rice Crisps: Quaker (PepsiCo-owned) Rice Crisps and Quaker Chewy granola bars extend the same whole-grain better-for-you snack positioning into rice-based chips and bars. They compete for the same on-the-go, whole-grain snack occasion as SunChips and reflect PepsiCo's portfolio approach to the segment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
SunChips social profiles
Digital presenceSunChips compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
SunChips financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SunChips leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SunChips funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SunChips M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SunChips
What does SunChips do?
SunChips manufactures and sells wavy-shaped whole grain snack chips under two lines: the original SunChips portfolio (Original, Harvest Cheddar, Garden Salsa, Honey BBQ, French Onion) and the newer Fiber line combining whole grains with black beans (Spicy Jalapeno, Southwestern Queso). Products are sold as packaged shelf-stable snacks through grocery and retail channels in the United States, targeting everyday consumers seeking better-for-you snack options.
Is SunChips a public or private company?
SunChips is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SunChips founded?
SunChips was founded in 1991. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is SunChips based?
SunChips is headquartered in Dallas, United States, in the North America region.
How does SunChips make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Snack Sales.
Who are SunChips's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kettle Brand, Bare Snacks, Late July Snacks and Popchips. Broad incumbents are Tostitos, Lay's, Stacy's Pita Chips, Mission Foods and Pringles. Quaker Rice Crisps is listed as an emerging player.
Does SunChips have an API?
No public API is recorded for SunChips.
What industry is SunChips in?
SunChips's product category is Packaged Salty Snacks. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADABAE, Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded), with a secondary code of AFAKAIAO, Specialty Snack Foods Manufacturing (Ethnic/Regional, Gourmet, Functional). Its NAICS code is 311919 and its SIC code is 2000.