The potato chip industry is usually not associated with gourmet food, but Dondre Anderson and his daughters are bringing their Gourmet Spice to their line of gluten-free potato chips.
Symphony Chips started as a completely different business venture from what it is today. Dondre was originally selling his dad’s homemade spice and promoting it in grocery stores throughout Atlanta, GA in 2010. During his taste demos, he needed something to put the spice on and thought to make some homemade potato chips.
“People won’t buy spices that they can’t taste so we began giving samples out on raw vegetables and popcorn. People were liking it and we were getting some sales, but it wasn’t until we did the homemade potato chips that people began to take more notice,” said Dondre. “It got to a point where people were like the spices are good but where are the chips at? I need to get a bag of these chips.”
The family decided to focus on creating their own potato chips in 2016. Dondre’s father always said that every bite of food should be harmonious, so Dondre and his daughters named their business Symphony. The name paid off because just as they got on their feet with producing the chips in bulk, Dondre received a call from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. With the name Symphony Chips, the orchestra thought that it’d be great to sell the chips in the concession stands at their performances. From that point on, the chips were being sold and not only gaining attention from the name, but the taste as well.
“Our chips are completely original and tasteful,” said Amina, one of Dondre’s daughters. “And as an athlete, I’m always mindful of my diet and I know that I can eat our chips without feeling guilty.”
Symphony Chips are different from a lot of potato chips out in the stores as they are gluten-free. Potatoes don’t carry gluten, but most oils used to fry potato chips contain gluten. Dondre and the girls wanted to have a healthier alternative, so they use cottonseed oil. They season the chips with their “Gourmet Seasoning” spice as well. Dondre also has his daughters, Amari and Amina, help with the in-store demos, creating marketing strategies and even growing branches of their own in the Symphony business.
“I can’t smile like them. I don’t sound like them. I don’t have the hair like them. They’re definitely the superstars,” said Dondre. “But as we get in deeper with this and get into more stores and locations, I’m teaching them the business end of it as well so that when they finish making their products, they’ll know exactly what to do.”
Amari, 14, is working on creating a line of gluten-free pastries, Symphony Pastries, while Amina, 15, is working on Symphony Meals, a gluten free and low-carb fry mix for frying proteins. The chips were inherently gluten-free because of the cottonseed oil, but the family has made the choice to keep their products on the healthy side. They even have plans to add kale chips to their line in the foreseeable future.
“I want our products to be gluten-free because not everyone can enjoy gluten and I want my business to be open to everybody. Also, when you eat gluten-free, you have more energy throughout the day,” said Amari.
Symphony Chips now works with different symphonies and sell at festivals and grocery stores throughout Atlanta. They have also shipped to 47 states through their website. Success is building for the company now, but more is to come as Dondre is working on new flavors for the chips and the girls are working on their Symphony products.
For more information on all things Symphony, visit symphonychips.com.