The Lay's brand of potato chips is made by which snack food company?

The Lay's brand of potato chips is made by Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay is the snack-food company responsible for producing, marketing, and selling Lay's in the United States and several other markets.

The brand traces its history to Herman Lay, who began a snack-food operation in Nashville in 1932 and purchased a potato-chip manufacturer in 1938. In 1961, H.W. Lay & Company merged with the Frito Company, creating Frito-Lay, Inc. The combined company joined Pepsi-Cola in 1965 to form PepsiCo.

Frito-Lay and Lay's are related but not identical names: Lay's is a potato-chip brand, while Frito-Lay is the company behind it. Frito-Lay's broader portfolio includes Fritos, Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, Ruffles, and other snack brands.

Brand names differ internationally. PepsiCo markets comparable products under names such as Walkers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Smith's in Australia, and Sabritas in Mexico. That regional variation can make the manufacturer seem different even when the corporate connection is the same.