Talk About Brand Loyalty! The Inventor of Pringles is Buried IN a Can!

Fredric Baur, an accomplished organic chemist and food storage technician, left an indelible mark on snack food history. While working for Procter & Gamble, Baur tackled a common problem plaguing potato chips in the mid-1960s: their fragility. Traditional bags often resulted in broken and stale chips, leading to customer dissatisfaction. Baur's ingenious solution was not only to create a uniformly shaped chip but also to design revolutionary packaging that would protect them.

His innovation, the iconic tubular Pringles can, was a marvel of packaging science. Filed for patent in 1966 and granted in 1970, this cylindrical container allowed the saddle-shaped chips to be perfectly stacked, preventing breakage during transport and keeping them fresh. This design ensured that every chip looked and tasted the same, a stark contrast (Review) to the irregular chips consumers were accustomed to. The Pringles can represented a significant advancement in food packaging, recognized globally as a symbol of snack culture.

Baur was immensely proud of his creation, considering it his greatest professional achievement. So profound was his connection to the Pringles can that he made an unusual request for his final resting place. Upon his death in 2008 at the age of 89, his children honored his wish by interring a portion of his ashes in an original flavor Pringles can. This unique burial choice underscores the deep personal pride Baur held for his contribution to the world of snack foods, a testament to the lasting impact of his inventive spirit.