Created from two separate companies, Frito-Lay North America has become a household name and one of the largest snack food manufactures. In 1932, two young entrepreneurs independently started two separate companies that were thousands of miles apart. The Frito Company had its start in Texas, and The H.W. Lay Company was formed in Tennessee. After both companies had success, Lay - which had been a potato chip manufacturer - accepted a franchise agreement to sell Frito products in Lay s territory. In September 1961 (29 years after the founding of both companies), the Frito Company and H.W. Lay Company merged to become Frito-Lay, one of the largest snack selling companies in the United States. Besides Fritos Corn Chips and Lay's Potato Chips, the company produces, markets and distributes products to grocers and a wide assortment of venders. Cracker Jack, Funyuns, Grandma s, Cheetos, Sun Chips and Doritos are produced by Frito-Lay. Frito-Lay North America's corporate headquarters is in Plano, Texas.
Advance Beverage Company, a distributor for the Anheuser-Busch Family of Beers in greater Kern County, is locally-owned and operated by William K. Lazzerini Jr. and family. The company distributes a varied line of alcoholic products and maintains its headquarters in Bakersfield, Calif.
Sun World International was established in early 1976 as a packer and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables. Throughout its initial decade, the company was a leading producer and marketer of a wide range of commodities such as carrots, leaf lettuce, asparagus, green onions, sweet corn, cherries, cantaloupes, citrus, dates and strawberries. As one of California s leading agricultural concerns, the company develops, grows and markets an extensive collection of special fruits and vegetables. It operates the world s largest fruit breeding program and has extensive farming and packing operations in Southern and central California. An innovator in the rapidly changing agriculture industry, Sun World enjoys particular strength in farming and promoting unique produce varieties with improved flavor, size, color and seasonality. The company maintains administrative, research, farming, packing and marketing operations in Coachella and Bakersfield, Calif. It markets produce for dozens of growers throughout California and several other states, as well as in Mexico and Chile.
Founded in 1915, Bolthouse Farms is one of the world s largest carrot operations that grows and distributes a variety of fruit and vegetable products. It offers carrots for processors in the Midwest, as well as serves chain stores and supermarkets. The company also provides products under the SHORTCUTS and Bolthouse Do Brasil brands. Bolthouse Farms operates a bottling facility and offers a range of beverage products. In addition, it offers refrigerated salad dressings. The company specializes in various agricultural and packaging technologies. Bolthouse Farms maintains a business unit, Fresh Logistics. It provides precision farming and soil depletion prevention services.
