Tayto Crisps is a crisps and popcorn manufacturer in Ireland, founded by Joe Murphy in May 1954 and owned by German snack food company Intersnack. Tayto invented the first flavoured crisp production process. The first seasoned crisps produced were Cheese & Onion. Companies worldwide sought to buy the rights to Tayto's technique. Tayto crisps are a cultural phenomenon throughout Republic of Ireland, so much so that in November 2010, Tayto opened their own theme park called "Tayto Park" near Ashbourne. Tayto Crisps manufactured in the Republic of Ireland by Tayto Snacks should not be confused with Tayto Limited in Northern Ireland, which is a completely separate brand. The Northern Irish Tayto is widely sold in Northern Ireland and Great Britain whereas Tayto is sold in Republic of Ireland only. Ownership The Republic of Ireland company Tayto was owned by Largo Foods. It was previously owned by Cantrell and Cochrane (C. & C), and was based in Coolock, County Dublin, until their factory was closed in September 2005 and production was outsourced to Largo. Largo agreed to purchase the brand from C. & C. in May 2006 for €62.3 million. In 2015, Ray Coyle sold his remaining shares of Largo foods to German food company Intersnack, ending the Irish ownership of the company. In Northern Ireland, Tayto Limited is still owned and run by the Hutchinson family and is totally different to Tayto in Republic of Ireland. The original Tayto crisp factory was founded in 1954 in Dublin by a local man known as Joe 'Spud' Murphy, who is credited with having invented the world's first flavoured crisp. Brands Tayto crisps come in several flavours: Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar, Smokey Bacon, Prawn Cocktail, and the limited edition flavour Tex Mex. In the early 2000s, the company targeted the healthy eating market, with its low salt, low fat crisps, originally branded as Honest. Tayto referred to this range as the Happy & Healthy range. The healthy range has since evolved and Tayto have launched Tayto Lentils which is 40% less fat to target the healthy eating market. Tayto Snack's portfolio of brands in the Republic of Ireland includes Tayto, King, O'Donnells of Tipperary, Hunky Dorys, Hula Hoops, Popchips, KP, Penn State, Pom-bear, & McCoy's. Marketing Tayto has used its mascot, Mr Tayto, in a number of marketing campaigns with previous endorsers such as Westlife. In the 2007 Irish General Election,