Better Made Potato Chips are a staple of Detroit: Find out how they're made

DETROIT – Better Made has been making potato chips in Detroit for 88 years.

More than 1 million pounds of potatoes ride a conveyor belt every week. The first step is for the potatoes to get washed.

The bathwater used goes through a starch recovery system. The potato peels aren't wasted, either. At the first inspection station, potatoes that don't make the cut are thrown away.

Larger potatoes are cut down into smaller potatoes. That way, the chips come out in a fairly uniform size. Then, the potatoes are sent to the slicer, where they get sliced, and washed and rinsed again, before moving down the line.

The chips then get seasoned and sorted. Computers measure and fill pans so that precisely the correct amount of chips is out in each bag.

Near the end of the line, plastic film is formed into tubes that become bags for the chips. The bags are filled and shipped out.

Watch the video above for the full report.


About the Authors:

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.