Who doesn't love Doritos? It's one of the most popular snacks around. With crunchy, cheesy goodness, it's hard to resist a Dorito. And we have one man to thank for its existence: Arch West. The father of Doritos died at the age of 97, and during his funeral, there was a somewhat odd ritual held. West was buried with a rather peculiar item. What could it have possibly been? Such a mystery has plagued the world for far too long, but now we're here to set the record straight; this is the quirky item the Doritos founder was reportedly buried with.
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00:00Archibald West, the creator of Doritos, died of natural causes on September 20th, 2011
00:07at 97 years old.
00:09Reportedly, West's final request was to be buried with a strange item, and it might not
00:15be the one you're expecting.
00:17But first, some history.
00:19At a time when most chips were plain, Arch West, marketing VP at Frito-Lay, was determined
00:25to introduce a Mexican-American-style chili cheese-flavored corn chip to the market.
00:30In fact, there were no other tortilla chip snacks being sold by a major brand in the
00:34United States at the time.
00:36At first, Frito-Lay wasn't exactly big on the idea, but West pushed for research and
00:41development into his new product.
00:43He subsequently spent his career tweaking the Doritos recipe and branding to become
00:48the unmistakable chip we all know and love.
00:51Although Frito-Lay doesn't officially credit West with the creation of the Doritos snack
00:55food, he was the driving force behind it.
00:58And, interestingly, there are two separate origin stories about the creation of the Dorito
01:03that have since become legend.
01:05In the first, the West family once ate at a Little Shack restaurant in San Diego, where
01:09the cooks were making a fried corn chip.
01:12He was inspired by the flavor and returned from the trip with a new snack food idea.
01:17The second story claims that the original Doritos chips were made at Casa de Fritos,
01:22now called Rancho del Zocalo, which was owned by the Frito-Lay company.
01:26This restaurant was found, of all places, inside Disneyland, California.
01:31Cooks were experimenting with frying up leftover tortillas and adding a blend of seasonings
01:36to them, meaning Casa de Fritos wouldn't have to throw out stale tortillas.
01:40As it turned out, people loved the new fried treat.
01:44During a visit to Disneyland, West saw that large crowds were drawn to the snack, and
01:48knew he had stumbled upon something special.
01:51Regardless of how exactly Doritos started out, once Arch West got hold of the idea,
01:56he was determined to find the ideal tortilla chip for the American consumer.
02:01In 1964, he partnered with Alex Foods, who made the soft tortillas that Casa de Fritos
02:06later fried.
02:07But this small tortilla producer was quickly overwhelmed by the snack's huge demand, so
02:12Frito-Lay opened its own manufacturing plants, and Alex Foods later created their own tortilla
02:17chips.
02:19Doritos hit the market in California in 1964, but market research showed that customers
02:24thought they were far too plain.
02:26West then tweaked the recipe, adding Romano cheese and spices such as garlic powder and
02:32salt, and by 1966, Doritos had gained nationwide popularity.
02:37Maybe I'm wrong on this one, but for me, the beast doesn't include selling out.
02:45Market research in 1994 led the Dorito to undergo major changes to its recipe and marketing
02:51strategy.
02:52For one, Doritos were made thinner and longer.
02:55They also used to have sharp edges, but this was unpopular with consumers, and it made
03:00the chips more likely to break in their bags.
03:02So Frito-Lay made the edges rounded instead.
03:05They also added more of the signature orange dust seasoning that Doritos are known for
03:09today.
03:11Doritos is the second best-selling product line from the Frito-Lay brand, with Lay's
03:15potato chips taking the first-place spot.
03:18According to research by Statista, in 2020, more than 6 million Americans admitted to
03:23eating eight or more bags that year.
03:25And since West introduced the original nacho cheese-flavored Doritos, the company has created
03:30over 100 varieties and flavors.
03:32Here's the big question, though.
03:34What was the unexpected item that Arch West wanted to be buried with?
03:38Drumroll, please.
03:40Can anybody guess?
03:41Okay, nobody's kidding anybody here.
03:43It was obviously Doritos.
03:46Attendees at the funeral of Arch West were each asked to toss a Doritos chip into his
03:50grave at the end of the ceremony.
03:52At a cemetery in Dallas, Texas, his ashes were buried in the same plot as Charlotte
03:56Thompson, his wife of 69 years.
03:59Apparently, West's daughter was a big fan of her father's quirky final wishes.
04:03She told Reuters,
04:05He would think it is hilarious.
04:06The cemetery does not mind because they are biodegradable.
04:10She also revealed that her father's favorite Doritos flavors were Toasted Corn Chip and
04:14Pool Ranch, and that West snacked on them even through his final days.