Fry Krisp Food Products Inc.

Since its inception in 1950, Fry Krisp Food Products has been a family-owned business. Located in Jackson, Michigan, Fry Krisp produces seasoned batter and coating mixes used to prepare foods for frying and baking.

In his 60-plus year career with Fry Krisp, Neuenfeldt developed the company into a household name in the retail and restaurant food service market.

Fry Krisp began in a garage after a salesman lost a card game bet to his sister and her friend. After owning stock in the company for a few years, Richard G. Neuenfeldt took over management of the company in 1956. Neuenfeldt continued working for the company past the age of 100, until his death in March 2015. Today, Neuenfeldt’s son, Richard J. Neuenfeldt, is president of the company and proudly carries on his father’s legacy.

In his 60-plus year career with Fry Krisp, Neuenfeldt developed the company into a household name in the retail and restaurant food service market throughout the U.S. Along the way, Neuenfeldt made numerous modifications to the company’s operations to improve working conditions for employees, including additions to the factory to improve efficiency and safety.

In 1950, Fry Krisp employees started with a 50-cents-per-hour salary, and the product line was limited to simple fry batter. Sixty years later, the company offers a full line of mixes necessary to create all the traditional American fried food favorites.

Product offerings

The restaurant industry accounts for the majority of Fry Krisp’s business, and in turn, the company caters to its varying needs.

Fry Krisp bulk products are available in a five-pound bag, a 25-pound plastic-lined box and a 50-pound multiwall bag. Fry Krisp offers two case options for the five-pound product — a case of six bags (30 pounds of product) and a case of 10 bags (50 pounds of product), and it recently introduced a new 12-ounce carton with sealed bags within. These offerings allow smaller restaurants to purchase manageable amounts of product, and use one five-pound bag as needed, in order to ensure fresh product and to minimize lost revenue due to spoils.

A majority of Fry Krisp’s products contain all-natural ingredients, which decrease the shelf life of the product while increasing healthfulness and fresh taste. Its low-sodium batter mix and low-sodium coating mix have spices to imitate the salt flavor. These heart-healthy offerings allow Americans with high blood pressure to indulge in an occasional fried treat without worrying about adverse health effects.

Fry Krisp makes buying and using its products as simple as it can for its customers. A state-of-the-art website offers online purchasing, and several dinner ideas can be found on the website’s “recipes” tab, such as Hawaiian pork chops featuring a golden crust, made possible by Fry Krisp’s Breading for Steak & Chops.

Fry Krisp also gives back to its vast U.S. community through food donations to various organizations, such as Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul.

Expanding on a legacy

The company continues to grow and to revamp its facilities in order to accommodate for increased operations. In recent expansion efforts, Fry Krisp has moved into a new facility in Jackson. The new facility is twice the size in square footage of its previous operation. “It’s a pre-existing building, but we have completely remodeled it,” says Neuenfeldt. “This expansion will allow us to reach out to larger customers.”

Neuenfeldt credits his father’s vision and humbleness as the drive behind the company’s longevity, which he is proud to continue. “The perseverance of my father to create a great product and great company is the reason we’re still here,” he shares. “That perseverance has been ingrained in me. My father would often go on the road to make deliveries and the customers wouldn’t even realize that he was the president of the company.”

With a wide distribution and an array of goods made with time-tested recipes for the past six decades, Fry Krisp continues to innovate and offer new products. The company has recently launched a new lemon-pepper wing seasoning, under the private label Crack Chicken.

Building upon six decades of success, Neuenfeldt will continue to carry on the Fry Krisp name with the same perseverance that his father exhibited while building the company. Fry Krisp Food Products Inc. sets the bar for quality and integrity in the fried food batter and coating mixes industry.