"Waffle, shoestring, steak, curly, crinkle-cut, sweet potato, Belgian, traditional, or beyond -- however you like your fries, they all start as the same starch: potatoes. Yes, those unassuming lumps buried in the dirt just need a little bit of polishing, chopping, frying, and seasoning to become the irresistible food we munch on alongside our burgers and sandwiches. And most of those fries come from one Idaho-based potato farmer, known as the J. R. Simplot Company."
"The J. R. Simplot Company was founded in 1929 when John Richard Simplot won an electric potato sorter in a coin toss. Even before then, though, he'd had years of experience in the agriculture industry. Simplot figured out how to dehydrate potatoes and onions to help feed the military during WWII, and by 1946, he'd begun experimenting with frozen french fries. This simple idea would eventually make him a billionaire and lead to the notorious handshake agreement with McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc."
All common fry styles originate from potatoes that are polished, chopped, fried, and seasoned into a popular side served with burgers and sandwiches. The potato business is highly lucrative and concentrated among a few large companies, with the J. R. Simplot Company a dominant supplier. Simplot has supplied McDonald's since 1967 under a long-standing agreement and also sells fries to Wendy's, Trader Joe's, Whataburger, Jack-in-the-Box, Burger King, and Chick-fil-A, and appears in venues like Yankee Stadium. The company began in 1929 after John Richard Simplot won an electric potato sorter and later innovated dehydrated potatoes for WWII and frozen fries experiments; when he died in 2008, the company's assets remained in the Simplot.
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