Snack, Pop, Crunch

Meat Feast for Sukkot At Chabad of Maple
October 24, 2019
Our Destiny Is Jewish Legacy
November 19, 2019
Meat Feast for Sukkot At Chabad of Maple
October 24, 2019
Our Destiny Is Jewish Legacy
November 19, 2019

Snack, Pop, Crunch

SNACK, POP, CRUNCH

Are you a fan of Spudniks? Not to be confused with the Sputnik satellite. Spudniks are tasty and highly popular crunchy and warm, nicely spiced potato chip. You can get your Spudniks in a variety of flavors. They are always served warm and crisp. 

Spudniks grew over a period of many years to now include speciality popcorn. After 12 years of operation, Spudniks grew to become Starbrand Production Inc., which is the top level company that houses Spudniks potato chips and popcorn. Both chips and popcorn are available in a variety of retail sizes including large bags, from 1 kg to 5 kg. Flavors include: carmel, cheddar and a mix of these two flavors, known as the Chicago mix as well as other flavors.

Initially, Jessy Revivo and his wife Michele, started a franchise of Dippin’ Dots ice cream. They were the first franchisee’s to bring that brand to Canada. Now their company is operating as Starbrand Productions Inc. in Woodbridge, Ontario. Prior to opening the Dippin’ Dots franchise Jessy Revivo was an Investment Advisor with Nesbitt Burns and Michele was working as an Esthetician. 

The motivated husband and wife team sought out a niche and novelty idea to enrich bar and bat mitzvah community celebrations. 

Initially, Dippin’ Dots ice cream solely operated in the United States of America and was certified Kosher by OV certifier, which was based in St. Louis, Missouri. After purchasing a franchise for Dippin’ Dots Jessy and his wife searched out retail opportunities. Jessy and his wife went to Yorkdale and operated a stand at the Yorkdale Urban Market, known as YUM. They had a booth on the weekends. They did well with their sales. Eventually they met a man that was in the process of selling a potatoe fryer that he had been using at his own company known as Chippery. Jessy and his wife decided to focus on the chip itself, over and above the potatoe fryer. They regularly took chips to Yorkdale, in bulk amounts and sold the specialty chips at their 10 x 10 foot booth where they were also already selling Dippin’ Dots ice cream. 

Jessy and his wife decided to spice things up a bit and put the just fried chips into stainless steel bowls and tossed in various spices, to enhance the existing flavor of the potatoe chip and to add more exotic flavors. Immediately, Jessy and his wife realized, based on sales and overall popularity of their potatoe chips that chips are the most popular snack food. They decided to expand their chip sales beyond the weekend market and set out to open a store where they would sell both Dippin’ Dots ice cream and also serve potatoe chips at a warm temperature to customers in a retail environment. 

Almost upon opening their retail snack outlet they quickly began selling out of stock every weekend. Typically, Jessy sells a 150 gram bag of chips for $5.99.  

Jessy and his wife realized that they had come up with a unique feature of freshly fried and uniquely seasoned potatoe chips that were served warm. The blend of flavors was surely out this world, hence they decided to call this new venture Spudnicks, in honour of the Sputnik space shuttle. Spudniks come in mix and match flavored chips. Unsalted options are also available. 

Jessy and his wife opened many retail locations of Dippin’ Dots and Spudniks stores. Eventually Jessy decided to focus solely on perfecting the potatoe chip snack so he sold the Canadian franchise rights of Dippin’ Dots. At the peak of the joint snacks partnership Jessy had 8 to 10 co co-branded stores for Dippin’ Dots and Spudnicks. 

Jessy decided to become a distributor for products to stores. He added speciality popped corn, which featured the following delectable flavors: caramel, maple, sweet & salty, as well as a regular plain option. To continue on his inventive path for crafting superb snacks, Jessy decided to add spices to the popped corn. To go full force on the popped corn project Jessy bought cooking kettles to make his own batches of popped corn, as well as a carmelizer to create candied corn. 

Currently, Spudniks products are sold to caterers and party hosts. He also sells his popped corn and spiced chips on Shopify. 

Spudniks now produces popped corn for other brands. Cineplex popped corn is manufactured by Spudniks. Spudniks also produces chips for other brands. 

In February of 2019, Jessy Revivo invested in a kettle chip line / batch fryer to mass produce speciality chips onsite, at his own potatoe chip factory, located in Vaughan, Ontario. 

Over the last seven years the production facility where Spudniks products are made was vastly increased in size, from initial size of 1200 square feet of mostly office space to now boasting of a 16, 000 square foot full production facility, with; onsite production, packaging and shipments of speciality chips and popped corn. 

Currently Spudniks employees 10 to 20 full time staff members. All Starbrand employees are fully trained on proper food safety standards, including; HAACP, GMP and all hold a current Food Handlers Certificate. 

Spudniks is now a proud manufacturer and co-packer of other brands that are distributed throughout North America. Spudniks products (speciality popped corn and chips) are sold at Winners / Homesense, as well at Amsterdam microbrewery, in Toronto and at various Kosher food stores in the Greater Toronto Area. Spudniks are also proudly sold at various Circle K convenience stores across Ontario, as well as at Costco Wholesale stores, in gift baskets. Spudniks used to have a kiosk stand at the Rogers Centre, but it gave way to a prevailing supplier of caramel corn. 

Spudniks can also be found at Kosher stores in Toronto, such as Kosher Natural and Amazing Donuts bakery. Spudniks is sold throughout the United States of America; namely in New Jersey and Colorado and across Canada, namely; in Toronto and Montreal. 

Spudniks still offers fully operational rentable carts for parties and celebrations. Party hosts can keep chips warm and season chips to their own liking, using Spudniks carts. 

Spudniks is a community driven organization that thrives on giving back to the local and Jewish community. They are proud to host public school tours of production facilities. Spudniks offers a cash and carry easy checkout option for businesses and public customers, at the front of the location. 

Both, Spudniks potatoe chips and popped corn, are made without additives and without preservatives. Chips are made using non GMO sunflower oil. Potatoes and corn are purchased locally from nearby farms. Spices are sourced from local blenders of herbs and spices. 

New popcorn option comes in 1 kilogram bag with butter salted popped corn. New 3 foot tall bag of movie theatre style popcorn. 

Starbrand is a proud supporter of the local Jewish community, contributing to charities such as: Ve’ahavta, Save a Child’s Heart, Aish Hatorah, NCSY, Chabad Flamingo, Kollel Ohr Yosef, at the Beth Avraham Yosef Toronto synagogue in Thornhill, Ontario. 

Spudniks recently began production of Poptopia on behalf of Cineplex movie theatres. Featured popcorn flavours include: cheddar / caramel, also known as the Chicago mix, as well as individual flavor options of  and cheddar popcorn.