Bickel's Potato Chip Company was started in 1954 by Luther Bickel in Lancaster County, PA. It was a family run business offering a variety of unique potato chips. In 1998 Bickel's was purchased by Hanover Foods Corporation. Hanover Foods is the largest independently owned food company in the eastern United States. To further strengthen its position in the snack category, in 2000 Hanover Foods purchased York Snacks and the Bon Ton Potato Chip facility in York, Pennsylvania. The companies were consolidated as "Bickel's Snack Foods, Inc.". Bickel's is one of the few manufacturers that can offer a FULL LINE of salted snacks - potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, corn chips, cheese curls, popcorn, party mixes, and much more. Bickel's then acquired WEGE Pretzel Company of Hanov