Tim's Cascade Snacks is Happy to Be Here

If you snack on a familiar red and white bag of Tim's Cascade chips while at the Ellensburg Rodeo, stop and appreciate it for a moment, because the potatoes were likely grown right here in Ellensburg.

It's because of that very important tie that the potato chip company, based in Algona, Wash., got involved with the Ellensburg Rodeo one year ago. Local potato farmer Bob Dodge saw a connection a few years back and contacted the snack company to see if it would be interested in being a rodeo sponsor.

"It really made sense that we be apart of it," said General Manager Jeff Leichleiter. "We want to support the community that we're so tied to."

Tim's Cascade Snacks has been involved in with the Ellensburg Rodeo for a few years now, however last year was the first time company employees came to Ellensburg and handed out samples to rodeo attendees. It was a great experience, Leichleiter said.

"We have 25 people coming again this year. Everyone here wants to go to Ellensburg. I never have a hard time finding volunteers."

Rodeo Sponsorship Director Scott Calkins said Tim's Cascade Snack's involvement has been a great addition to the event, and that the company's link to the community is an important one.

"It's neat to have that local connection to farmers in the area that are a huge part of the community," Calkins said. "Last year was the company's first time here, and they brought thousands of bags of snacks. It makes it nice for the visitors to be able to have that. And the staff members are always excited to come back."

The company was founded in 1986. It's become a very popular snack throughout the Northwest, where it's primarily sold. Leichleiter attributes its popularity to the company's simple and natural production methods.

"We think it's a higher quality chip, when you get right down to why it's so successful. We use cooking oil, potatoes, salt and spices. How much more natural can you get? It's a snack made by a group of people that still care about what they're doing and it's not mass produced."

While at the rodeo this year, Tim's Cascade Snacks will unveil two new products. The company said coming to the rodeo and testing new snacks is a great way to find out if they will be successful with a bigger market. And it gives rodeo fans an opportunity to try the lasted in Tim's creations.

"It lets us to get as much exposure as we can. The rodeo allows us to hand out samples and display our products, and that helps us determine our market later on," Leichleiter said.

Leichleiter said he marvels at the success of the rodeo and is thankful for the advertising opportunities it provides the company.

"We're all taken aback by the community involvement - to get that many people to volunteer that much time, it's amazing," he said. "We want to be there and be apart of the rodeo."