Ira Middleswarth & Son Inc.
Ira Middleswarth & Son, Inc. was founded back in 1942 by Bob Middleswarth. He started making potato chips with a single kettle, in a two-room building off to the side of his family's home in Beavertown, PA. At that time, Bob and his mother Lottie along with two other employees produced about fifteen pounds of chips an hour. The product caught on and more and more people came to recognize the special great taste and quality of Middleswarth Potato Chips. Bob's father, Ira, later joined the business and by 1959 the company expanded and moved to a new location on Orange Street in Beavertown. The business then became incorporated as Ira Middleswarth & Son and employed 20 workers who manufactured about 350 pounds of potato chips an hour.
The company continued to grow and in 1961 a new plant was built in Middleburg, PA at which time Bob Middleswarth was named president. The company operated from a 40,000 square foot building and had 44 employees who manufactured 2,600 pounds of potato chips an hour. An addition to the plant was completed in 1974 adding a new fryer and packing room. Today Middleswarth employs an average of 90 workers and we manufacture 3,400 pounds of chips an hour. The "& Son" refers to Bob Middleswarth, who was president of the company. Sadly, he passed away in November 2007 with Dave Middleswarth succeeding his father as president. Middleswarth is still a family-operated business. The actual name of the company is Ira Middleswarth & Son, Inc., but most people in the area call us Middleswarth Potato Chips
