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On Detroit’s near east side Better Made Vice President Phil Gusmano pauses at an inspection point on the factory line. We are in the area that for more than 80 years has made the chips and snacks that bring families together, create moments to savor.
The air is filled with the sounds and smell of snack alchemy. Where chipping potatoes are turned into an iconic variety of tasty treats.
And this is the moment the chips come out of the fryer, just a little salt. He pulls a handful of piping hot chips from the line, drops them in a paper towel and hands them over with a smile.
“You’re about to taste the best potato chip you’ll ever eat.”
And, if anything, he’s underselling it. Each bite is evidence of the Detroit pride, culinary craftsmanship and timeless appeal of the chips that made Detroit famous.
Walk into any party store, backyard barbecue or family celebration in Detroit, and there’s a good chance you’ll hear the familiar crinkle of a Better Made bag being opened. For 95 years, Detroiters have been grabbing these golden chips for ball games, backyard parties, and late-night snacks. And for just as long, Gusmano’s family has been there—making sure that every bite lives up to the name.
Gusmano, a third-generation family member now helping steer the company, laughs when he remembers how his career started. “I had just gotten married and was looking for a job. My uncle said, ‘Hey, why don’t you just come work for us?’” he recalls. “I’d done some internships here in college, so it wasn’t completely foreign. But before I knew it—I was here full time.”
That was nearly three decades ago. Today, Gusmano is not only part of the leadership team at Better Made, he’s also chairman of Snack International, representing the entire snack industry at a national level. Not bad for a guy who started in the warehouse, “pulling orders and learning enough to be dangerous in a lot of areas,” as he puts it.
But the real story here isn’t just about Gusmano’s journey. It’s about the continuity of a Detroit institution that has endured nearly a century while so many others have disappeared.
Better Made was founded in 1930 by Cross Moceri and Peter Cipriano, the latter of whom is Gusmano’s grandfather. Starting a business in the heart of the Great Depression in Detroit was no mean feat. And at the time, Detroit had 23 different chip makers. Today, only Better Made remains. The name was a promise and a purpose that the founders infused into their work, and one that remains a North Star nearly a century later.
“That’s where the name comes from,” Gusmano explains. “It was a play on words. We were ‘better made’ than everyone else. And 95 years later, here we still are.”
The numbers tell their own story. The company’s first building was just 5,000 square feet. Today, the East Side facility sprawls across 170,000 square feet, producing potato chips, potato sticks, and popcorn, and distributing them across Michigan and beyond.
Through it all, Better Made has stayed true to its Detroit roots. “When other companies left, we doubled down,” Gusmano says. “Seventy percent of our employees live in the city. We keep our money local. Even our raw materials—our potatoes, our corrugated packaging, even our seasonings—come from Michigan whenever possible.”
In fact, Michigan grows more “chipping potatoes” than any other state in the U.S. “One out of every four bags of potato chips sold in America comes from Michigan potatoes,” Gusmano notes proudly. “Some of our growers have been with us since the 1940s. We’re talking about three generations of farmers working with three generations of our family. That’s something special.”
What does it mean to Gusmano to be the last Detroit chip company standing? In a word, responsibility.
Sitting in a humble conference room in the factory’s shipping & receiving office, surrounded by bags of chips and snacks representing Better Made’s product line, Gusmano reflects on the way Better Made continues to make moments better.
“Better Made isn’t just a snack. For a lot of people, it’s childhood memories, family traditions, and Detroit pride,” he says.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be walking through an airport in a Better Made shirt and someone will stop me. They’ll say, ‘Are you from Detroit?’ and then launch into a story about how their grandfather used to bring them to our store, or how they always had Better Made at family gatherings. We’re not just a brand, we’re a piece of people’s lives.”
That pride can show up in some surprising and moving ways. “People have our logo tattooed on their bodies,” Gusmano says with a smile. “When people start getting your brand inked on their skin, you realize it’s bigger than you are.”
It’s not just snack fans and customers who are loyal to Better Made—the loyalty extends from company to employees and suppliers too. Better Made has always been family-run, and while most employees aren’t literally family, they’re treated like family all the same.
“We do cookouts in the summer. We make sure people appreciate coming to work,” Gusmano says. “We work hard to make this a place people are proud of.”
That attitude reflects what Gusmano calls the company’s “North Star”: offering a quality product at a fair price. “That worked 70 years ago, and it works today,” he says. “If you do right by your customers and your employees, everything else follows.”
“If you put a chip from 90 years ago next to one today, they wouldn’t look too different,” Gusmano notes. And that commitment to consistency is core to Better Made’s brand.
But while Better Made’s iconic product lineup has stood the test of time, longevity also means evolution. Better Made’s lineup has grown to include new classics like the Detroit Mix (caramel and cheddar popcorn) and Wavy Barbecue chips—Gusmano’s personal favorite. “The ridges hold the seasoning better,” he explains. “It’s about the mouthfeel. That’s the one I always come back to.”
When he talks about snacks, the passion and commitment are evident.
While the chips themselves may not have changed much since the 1930s, the way Better Made connects with Detroit has.
From collaborations with Brown Dog Creamery to create Better Made–inspired ice creams, to limited-edition apparel drops with local designers like the recent collaboration with SANA streetwear, Better Made has found ways to stay fresh without losing its roots.
“The collab with SANA is a great example,” Gusmano says. “It’s reaching the next generation in a way that feels authentic. We know we’re an older brand, but Detroit is always reinventing itself, and so are we.”
Looking Ahead
As Better Made celebrates its 95th birthday, Gusmano reflects on what it means to carry the family business forward. “My philosophy is simple: you leave things better than you found them,” he says.
“That means setting up the company to succeed long after I’m gone, making sure our employees have stability, and keeping the tradition alive for the people who love us.”
And while the future may bring new flavors, new packaging, or new collaborations, the heart of Better Made remains unchanged. “We make snacks, sure,” Gusmano says. “But really, we’re making memories. We’re part of the little moments in people’s lives—holidays, ballgames, family picnics. That’s what matters most.”
Ninety-five years in, Better Made is still Detroit through and through—loyal, resilient, and, well, better.