Our Story
The Mitten Chips
Story
From a bold idea to your favorite tortilla chip — here's how we got our crunch.
A Chip Worth Crunching
It started with a simple question: why can't a tortilla chip be better? We set out to create something uniquely flakey and crisp — a chip that stands on its own.
Getting the Flake Right
Perfecting our signature flake took countless batches. We refined the recipe until every chip delivered that satisfying crunch and natural corn flavor you taste today.
From Kitchen to Shelves
What began as a passion project found its way onto store shelves. Today, you can find Mitten Chips at retailers across the region — and we're just getting started.
Our Values
What We Stand For
Passion for Quality
Every chip is crafted with care, using quality ingredients and a process designed to deliver exceptional flavor.
Quality Ingredients
No artificial flavors or preservatives. Just real corn tortillas and bold, honest seasoning.
Uniquely Flakey
Our signature texture sets us apart. Each chip has that satisfying flake and crunch you won't find anywhere else.
Where We Started
A Michigan Snack Story
Mitten Chips started in a Grand Rapids kitchen, not a boardroom. Long before there was a bag on a shelf, it began with a homemade Michigan bean dip — Mike's Famous Michigan Bean Dip — the kind of recipe that gets requested at every family gathering, tailgate, and holiday spread until people start asking where they can buy it. That dip is the seed everything else grew from.
Over time, that home recipe took its first real steps toward becoming a business, moving from the family table to local farmers markets and the coolers of independent Michigan grocers. For years it was sold under the Linkland Snack Foods name, building a quiet but loyal following across West Michigan.
The chips came later, and for a practical reason: a great Michigan bean dip deserves a chip that can stand up to it. Most tortilla chips either shatter under a real scoop of dip or taste like nothing at all. We wanted one that did both jobs — bold enough to eat straight from the bag, and sturdy enough to carry a heavy load without snapping. Getting there took a lot of small batches and a lot of taste-testing, but the result was a chip with a texture we had not found anywhere else: uniquely flakey, and genuinely crisp. In 2022 the business leaned into that chip and rebranded as Mitten Chips, a name that says exactly where it comes from.
Today Mitten Chips are made the same way they always have been — in small batches, with a short list of real ingredients, by a family that still treats every bag like it is going to a neighbor. You will find us at farmers markets and independent grocers across lower Michigan, and shipping anywhere in the country.
How We Make a Batch
From Stone-Ground Corn to the Bag
We make Mitten Chips in small batches, the same careful way every time. Here is what goes into getting that signature flake right.
Start With Real Corn
Every chip begins with stone-ground yellow corn, water, oil, and a trace of lime — the same simple base our Traditional flavor still uses today. No artificial flavors, no preservatives. Both of our flavors are gluten-free and vegan.
Cook in Small Batches
Rather than running one endless line, we cook in small batches. That hands-on scale is how we keep an eye on every step and hold the texture consistent from bag to bag.
Get the Flake Right
Our signature flakey-yet-crisp texture is the part that took the most batches to dial in. It is what lets a chip shatter satisfyingly when you bite it but stay sturdy enough to scoop a heavy dip without breaking.
Season With Intention
Traditional gets a clean finish of salt that lets the corn flavor lead. Sweet & Smokey Pepper layers in oak-smoked sweet red pepper and a touch of natural sweetness — bold flavor, no fire.
Why “Flakey”
The Texture That Sets Us Apart
When people first try Mitten Chips, the word that comes up most is “flakey.” It is not an accident or a marketing line — it is the specific texture we set out to create. Most tortilla chips are either thin and brittle, so they crack the moment they hit a dip, or dense and hard, so they taste flat. Ours land in between: light, layered, and crisp, with a flake that gives way cleanly when you bite and a backbone that holds up to a real scoop.
That balance is exactly why our chips earned their following alongside our Michigan bean dip. A chip that snaps in the dip is no good to anyone. Whether you are loading up nachos, crusting chicken tenders, or just eating them straight from the bag, the flake is the point.
About the Family
A Family Business in Grand Rapids
Mitten Chips is a family-owned business based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It grew out of a homemade Michigan recipe that spent years as the most-requested item at family get-togethers long before it ever became a business.
We still do this hands-on — small batches, real ingredients, and the same standard the recipe was held to from the start. Every bag that leaves the kitchen is one we'd happily set out at our own table.
Press
In the News
Local press coverage is coming soon. For media inquiries or to feature Mitten Chips, please get in touch. Contact us.
Ready to Taste the Difference?
Find Mitten Chips at a store near you and experience the uniquely flakey crunch.