Nalley's Potato Chips

by Nalley's

1918 – 1994 GONE FOREVER

Gone in the US since the December 1994 sale. The Nalley's name lives on in canned chili under Conagra, and a separate Canadian snack business was sold to its managers in 1995 — this page is about the American chips.

Last verified Nov 8, 2026

Marcus Nalley — born Narancic, a Croatian immigrant who reached New York at 13 with 15 cents — started frying chips in a $5-a-month Tacoma storeroom in 1918. They built a Northwest snack empire and gave South Tacoma's Nalley Valley its name.

🧾 One more thingThe end was a bargain-bin sale: in December 1994 parent Curtice Burns sold the US chip and snack business for about $2 million and took an $8.4 million charge to get out of the line.

Filed under: Snacks & Chips · the ’70s & earlier

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📅 Timeline

1918Marcus Nalley began making potato chips in Tacoma and selling them door to door.
1962Marcus Nalley died.
1994On December 19 Curtice Burns sold the Nalley's US chips and snacks business for about $2 million.
1995Curtice Burns announced the sale of Nalley's Canada to a management group.
2010The Tacoma plant's chili production was moved to Iowa, ending Nalley's 92 years in the city.

❓ People also ask

Does Nalley's still make potato chips?

Not in the US. The chip business was sold off in 1994; the Nalley's name survives on canned chili sold by Conagra.

Who was Marcus Nalley?

A Croatian immigrant, born Narancic, who started the business in Tacoma in 1918. South Tacoma's Nalley Valley is named after him.

🧾 Sources

SEC EDGAR, Curtice Burns Foods Form 10-Q/A (Note 4, disposals) (1995)
KNKX, Nalley's saying goodbye to Tacoma after 92 years (2010)
Crosscut / Cascade PBS, Nalley's brand: A story of losing our local history (2018)

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