Have you ever heard of John Richard Simplot, the multi-billionaire? I read the article Why the Fries Taste Good by Eric Schlosser. Schlosser’s article was very informative and told of how John Richard Simplot became what he was and how he achieved it. John Richard Simplot was a very successful businessman from potatoes. Simplot has gone through various obstacles to achieve what he did. He left behind a legacy in the name of a company. Through this company, his name still prospers. Simplot became a multi-billionaire through his company, warehouses and farms. In 1909, Simplot was born in Dubuque, Idaho. He lived on a potato farm, from the start, which was the inspiration for his dream. At the age of 15, Simplot dropped out of school, to pursue …show more content…
He knew that most households in America didn’t own a freezer yet. In the words of Harvey Levenstein, “The 1950’s soon became The Golden Age of Food Processing, a decade in which one marvelous innovation after another promised to simplify the lives of American housewives…” Keeping this in mind, French fries were one of these great innovations. Simplot needed to find an angle at which he would sell his French fries. French fries were already invented by this time, but they weren’t frozen. They would be cut up and cleaned in the kitchen of a place, on the spot! Simplot hired a team of chemists, lead by Ran Dunlap. He wanted them to develop a produce that had some potential. Which resulted in the frozen French fry! When Dunlap showed off the new product, Simplot said, “That’s a helluva thing.”. Simplot started selling them in 1953. At first, the results were disappointing. Then he got lucky and struck a deal with Kroc McDonald. He would become the main supplier for the McDonald food chain! Frozen French fries became a hit! The author of the article, Eric Schlosser said, “In 1960, the typical American ate eighty-one pounds of fresh potatoes and about four pounds of frozen french fries. Today the typical American eats about forty-nine pounds of fresh potatoes every year—and more than thirty pounds of frozen french fries. Ninety percent of those fries are purchased at fast food …show more content…
He started out as a simple young and rebellious boy, living his life on a potato farm. He was normal, just like any other person. The only difference between him and normal people is that he chased his dream till there was no more to chase. He left no stone unturned. His business became a success because he had quite a bit of faith in himself. He had plants in almost every corner of Idaho, warehouses everywhere from Oregon to Idaho and potatoes growing everywhere! In the article, Schlosser says that when Simplot was asked about his potato empire, Simplot simply states, “It’s big and it’s real, it ain’t bulls--t.” Following this, when Simplot was asked about his success, he said, “The only thing I did smart, and just remember this-ninety-nine percent of people would have sold out when they got their first twenty-five or thirty million. I didn’t sell out. I just hung on.” I find that this quote from Simplot is 100% accurate. Many people don’t have what it takes to follow their dreams to the fullest extent, like he did. But I do think that with the help of others, anyone can do anything they can think