Cheetos is a crunchy corn puff snack made by Frito-Lay and distributed in over 100 countries. Cheetos were invented by Charles Elmer Doolin, who had developed the original Fritos in restaurant kitchens in the early 1930s. The word “Cheetos” was originally a nickname for his children named Chester and Lillian. It was not until 1948 that Doolin came up with the idea of making a corn puff snack similar to his original creation using cheese flavoring.

Cheetos was created in 1948 by Frito Company, which merged with H.W. Lay & Company and became known as Frito Lay. In 1961, the parent company of Cheetos, Frito-Lay Inc., merged with The Pepsi-Cola Company to form PepsiCo, Inc. Addictive snacks were part of their business plan! Cheetos are now sold around the world and have been for decades.

In 2010, the Cheetos snack brand was ranked as the top selling brand of cheese puffs in its primary market of the United States. Globally, annual retail sales totalled approximately $4 billion.

The Crunchy Cheetos snack that you know and love is still around, but it’s not the only one. In fact, there are more than 20 different types of Cheetos in production in North America alone. As Cheetos are sold in over 36 countries worldwide, the flavor or composition is often varied to suit regional taste and cultural preferences. You can try Chinese Savory American Cream Cheetos or sweet Strawberry ones from Japan!