Archibald West, the creator of Doritos, died of natural causes on September 20th, 2011,
at 97 years old.
Reportedly, West's final request was to be buried with a strange item — and it might
not be the one you're expecting.
But first, some history: At a time when most chips were plain, Arch West, Marketing VP
at Frito-Lay, was determined to introduce a Mexican-American style chili-cheese-flavored
corn chip to the market.
In fact, there were no other tortilla chip snacks being sold by a major brand in the
United States at the time.
At first, Frito-Lay wasn't exactly big on the idea, but West pushed for research and
development into his new product.
He subsequently spent his career tweaking the Doritos recipe and branding to become
the unmistakable chip we all know and love.
Although Frito-Lay doesn't officially credit West with the creation of the Doritos snack
food, he was the driving force behind it.
And interestingly, there are two separate origin stories about the creation of the Dorito
that have since become legend.
In the first, the West family once ate at a little shack restaurant in San Diego where
the cooks were making a fried corn chip.
He was inspired by the flavor and returned from the trip with a new snack food idea.
The second story claims that the original Doritos chips were made at Casa de Fritos,
now called Rancho Del Zocalo, which was owned by the Frito-Lay company.
This restaurant was found, of all places, inside Disneyland, California.
Cooks were experimenting with frying up leftover tortillas and adding a blend of seasonings
to them, meaning Casa de Fritos wouldn't have to throw out stale tortillas.
As it turned out, people loved the new fried treat.
During a visit to Disneyland, West saw that large crowds were drawn to the snack and knew
he had stumbled upon something special.
Regardless of how exactly Doritos started out, once Arch West got hold of the idea,
he was determined to find the ideal tortilla chip for the American consumer.
In 1964, he partnered with Alex Foods, who made the soft tortillas that Casa de Fritos
later fried.
But this small tortilla producer was quickly overwhelmed by the snack's huge demand, so
Frito-Lay opened its own manufacturing plants and Alex Foods later created their own tortilla
chips.
Doritos hit the market in California in 1964, but market research showed that customers
thought they were far too plain.
West then tweaked the recipe, adding Romano cheese and spices such as garlic powder and
salt, and by 1966 Doritos had gained nationwide popularity.
"Maybe I'm wrong on this one, but for me, the beast doesn't include selling out."
Market research in 1994 led the Dorito to undergo major changes to its recipe and marketing
strategy.
For one, Doritos were made thinner and longer.
They also used to have sharp edges, but this was unpopular with consumers, and it made
the chips more likely to break in their bags — so Frito-Lay made the edges rounded instead.
They also added more of the signature "orange dust" seasoning that Doritos are known for
today.
Doritos is the second-best-selling product line from the Frito-Lay brand, with Lays Potato
Chips taking the first-place spot.
According to research by Statista in 2020, more than 6 million Americans admitted to
eating eight or more bags that year.
And since West introduced the original Nacho-Cheese-flavored Doritos, the company has created over 100
varieties and flavors.
Here's the big question, though: what was the unexpected item that Arch West wanted
to be buried with?
"Drum roll, please — can anybody guess?"
Okay, nobody's kidding anybody here — it was obviously Doritos.
Attendees at the funeral of Arch West were each asked to toss a Doritos chip into his
grave at the end of the ceremony.
At a cemetery in Dallas, Texas, his ashes were buried in the same plot as Charlotte
Thomson, his wife of 69 years.
Apparently, West's daughter was a big fan of her father's quirky final wishes.
She told Reuters:
"He would think it is hilarious.
The cemetery does not mind because they are biodegradable."
She also revealed that her father's favorite Doritos flavors were Toasted Corn Chip and
Cool Ranch — and that West snacked on them even through his final days.
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