Lay’s is the PepsiCo snack brand that began after Herman Lay started selling potato chips in 1932.
Herman Lay entered the snack business in the United States by distributing potato chips from the back of his car. His operation grew into the H.W. Lay & Company, and the Lay’s name became one of the best-known potato-chip brands in the country.
The company later merged with the Frito Company in 1961, creating Frito-Lay. Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay in 1965, forming PepsiCo and bringing Lay’s into the larger food-and-beverage corporation.
Lay’s is sometimes mixed up with Fritos because both are PepsiCo brands and both have long histories. Fritos originated as corn chips made by Elmer Doolin, while Lay’s originated as a potato-chip business associated with Herman Lay.