There’s a likelihood that within any conversation around the ‘lost’ snacks from yesteryear that Scots wish would make a comeback, Highlander Crisps will be mentioned at some point.
Regarded by many as one of the ‘forgotten’ gems of the crisp world, ‘Highlander’ was a range of crisps established in early 1988 by Forth Valley Foods from an empty factory in Bathgate following the demise of the Golden Wonder crisp production plant in Broxburn, West Lothian, the previous year.
In a snack landscape dominated by huge multinational corporations such as Pepsico and United Biscuits - the makers of McVitie's biscuits - the crisp start-up ended up in the hands of the receiver in 1991 before being purchased by Unichips SPa (a subsidiary of Italian snack manufacturer San Carlo) and renamed Highlander Snacks.
The purchase would herald the launch of a completely new Highlander product range - crinkle cut crisps, cooked in pure sunflower oil, in nine flavours ranging from sea salt, through Caledonian tomato, to Ayrshire bacon & brown sauce. Attractively packaged in larger 30g metal foil bags, they were aimed at the premium end of the market.
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Employing 150 people at its peak, the firm's financial accounts for 2011 showed a loss of nearly £1m, with the site receiving financial backing from the Milan headquarters of Unichips SPa.
A slump in sales would see Unichips SPa axe the production plant in July of 2013 - after 26 years in Bathgate - to centralise production in Italy, with the loss of 28 jobs.
And while Highlander Crisps have been absent for a decade now in Scotland, the brand continues to dominate the flavoured crisp market in a country famous for its gelato, pizza and pasta.
Thanks to Highlander, along with other crisp brands such as Wacko’s, Pai and Autentica Trattoria, San Carlo controls around 60 per cent of the Italian crisp market, generating a total turnover of nearly €350,000 (£300,000).
Highlander crisps
So how did Highlander earn its favourite status among Italian crisp lovers? A brand of crisp that merited special mention in a recent Youtube video of ‘Italy’s most popular snacks’ - made by two popular Instagrammers - that has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.
Initially, Unichips SPa saw the Highlander brand as its vehicle for snatching leadership of the (busy) Scottish crisps market, evidenced by the ‘serious’ money it poured into the production line after relaunching Highlander Crisps as Highlander Snacks in 1991.
The aforementioned new product range which followed Unichips SPa’s purchase of the brand - regarded at the time as a ‘detailed collaboration between Italian parent and Scottish offspring - also represented the chance to grow the product over in Italy in a country with a lesser enthusiasm for flavoured crisps, perhaps due to the perceived lack of tasty options on offer.
As one observer put it: “Italians used to be rubbish at producing their own crisps. When I lived in Italy in the late 1980's and early 1990's all crisps were ready salted or paprika flavour.”
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As such, Unichips SPa began to ‘experiment’, by shipping two 40ft container-loads of Highlander crisps a week in multipacks to Italy under the San Carlo brand to tickle and tempt Italian palates.
In recent years, Highlander went through a ‘total’ restyling of its brand identity and packaging, with the aim of revitalising the brand ‘to speak to millennials and increase product consumption’.
With previous adverts featuring a castle-haunting, red-haired, kilted ghost chomping down on Highlander crisps under the tagline ‘the awakening of ultra flavours’, a fresh marketing approach saw the Scottish origins of the brand emphasised by accentuating the ‘rebellious and provocative personality’ of the brand inspired by the Highland Games, strength and courage.
Featuring the motto ‘crunchy and brave’, the crisp packets depicted kilted Highland Games participants lifting crisps.
#HighLander San Carlo a #PiacereBarbecue! L'appetito vien Braciando! pic.twitter.com/hGSoGQsxbJ
— Piacere Barbecue (@PiacereBarbecue) June 20, 2017
A description on the packet read: “Wearing a kilt is not enough to be a Highlander, you need grit. These are the ideal crisps for those with character, thick and crunchy with strong and intriguing flavours, with no compromises. Be crunchy, be brave, be a Highlander!
With the rebrand also came a new range of crisps with a strong taste dedicated to young adults, featuring flavours such as ‘Tomato or Nothing’, ‘Kiss my BBQ’, ‘Black Pepper Forever’ and ‘Fight For Vinegar’.
Meanwhile, the ‘Original Scottish trademark and recipe…Made in Italy’ on the packet shows its origins haven’t been forgotten - even if it’s impossible to get you hands on a packet here.
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