In nearly three decades, Kettle Foods has grown from one man's vision to a household name and a major player in Norfolk's food sector.

And there are no signs of that growth trend slacking any time soon, according to Jeremy Bradley, managing director of the firm's European operation.

Almost a year after the company was bought by US snack firm Diamond Foods, sales have increased 24pc and plans are afoot for further expansion following the announcement of a �6.8m investment in its factory in Bowthorpe, Norwich.

The firm and its distinctive Kettle Chips potato crisps trace their origins to 1982 in Salem, Oregon, when Cameron Healy, a Sikh who ran a small natural foods firm, was inspired by crisps fried in a bucket and eaten fresh while on holiday in Hawaii.

Taking the idea, he originally intended to call his products bucket chips, but settled on the safer Kettle Chips name, which he delivered from a single beaten-up van.

Kettle Foods was established in the UK about five years later in partnership with ex-banker Tim Meyer after Mr Healy discovered the British love of crisps while on a motorcycle tour of Europe, beginning production in a former shoe factory on Vulcan Road, near Norwich International Airport, in 1988.

Mr Bradley said the crisps had 'resonated' with customers from the start, thanks to the focus on simple, natural ingredients and hand cooking, resulting in a product in line with Mr Healy's original vision.

Unlike many rivals, the company uses no artificial additives, using real ingredients rather than flavourings, and the crisps are thicker cut for more crunch.

Nearly all the potatoes are sourced from East Anglia, and the firm uses three different varieties picked at the 'right time' of the season, the details of which are a closely guarded secret.

And the distinctiveness of Kettle Chips has served the company well, with the firm successfully carving out a niche in an industry dominated by the likes of Walkers.

But since the start the UK business has grown in different ways to its US equivalent.

Mr Bradley said: 'In the US the company was selling through the natural foods channel, which was growing and very vibrant, led by people who wanted to know their food didn't contain additives and a focus on healthy lifestyles.

'There was no similar channel in the UK.

'By a quirk of fate we couldn't find the same packaging as in the US so took a slightly more glossy looking bag, and that immediately made us a high-end product.'

When Mr Bradley joined the UK company in 1997 as head of operations, four years after its move to Bowthorpe, it employed 230 staff and had a turnover of about �18m a year and a 'nice growth trajectory'.

'Sales were going like crazy and we were almost bursting at the seams,' Mr Bradley added.

He was appointed joint managing director in 2000 and sole MD three years later, and said the company 'continued to grow very successfully', driven by investment in growth, quality and engaging with the market – 'all the things you would expect a blue chip company to do'.

While the growth of the company has been in large part a story of continuity – many of the East Anglian potato growers who supplied the company at the start continue to do so – there has also been change.

In 2002 Kettle experienced a 'hiatus' when Walkers launched its Sensations range of crisps, which like Kettle, sold in larger bags designed for sharing.

Mr Bradley said Sensations sent the market into 'a bit of a spin', disrupting a period of continued growth for the Norwich firm – but which he said was ultimately 'healthy' for the business.

'It reminded us to run our business with humility, to try and see it as customers see it and run the business through their eyes,' he said.

In 2005 the firm suffered a 'horrendous' fire at its Bowthorpe plant, which destroyed half the production facility, and required about 90 firefighters to tackle it. The company was left with just 12 cases of crisps in its warehouse and a real risk of going under.

But Mr Bradley said staff rose to the challenge and rebuilt the factory, which began production again just eight days later.

'It was a wonderful reminder of what can happen when everyone gets hold of the oars and pulls together,' he added.

In 2004, a third of the company was sold to Catterton Partners, a Connecticut-based private equity firm, and two years later was sold outright to London investment firm Lion Capital when Kettle's founders decided to move on to other things, for �170m.

Lion sold the business to San Francisco-based Diamond Foods in March 2010 for about �403m after another period of significant growth.

While the sale of a company can be a time of stress and uncertainty, Mr Bradley said the changes in ownership had been positive for Kettle.

He said: 'The three times we have sold we have been in a position of strength, having a really good game plan for what we wanted to do, how we wanted to do it, and clear evidence the work force was capable of delivering that.

'Fortunately the owners supported and endorsed those plans and invested behind us.'

And he said he was 'delighted on several fronts' that the business had been acquired by Diamond rather than a much larger firm, like PepsiCo, which he said would have resulted in redundancies.

He said the 11 months since the sale had been a 'great time', with Diamond chiefs spending significant time with Kettle to get to grips with the business, who he described as 'hard-working, energetic people'.

'Diamond have been enormously respectful new owners,' he added. 'They have taken the time to understand our plans and people and what we want to achieve.

'They have also brought with them new energy from their own staff who can draw on what Diamond have been doing in US in a related sector.'

Underlining its commitment to Kettle's UK business, Diamond announced a �6.8m investment in the Bowthorpe factory earlier this month, which is expected to result in about 35 additional jobs, depending on demand.

The money will expand production at the plant, which employs about 450, adding new packaging lines and increasing the capability to produce multi-packs of crisps, demand for which remains strong since their launch in 2006.

Now a range of about a dozen flavours, sales have also been spurred by the launch of the crinkled Kettle Ridge Crisps, launched about 18 months ago, and by its small bags, which Mr Bradley said were 'absolutely flying', and a buoyant Christmas trading period.

Export sales remain an 'exciting area' for the future, he added, growing at a similar rate to the business as a whole last year, to countries including Holland, Germany, Belgium and northern Italy.

Turnover for the European business is not reported, although sales rose 24pc last year.

Latest published figures for Kettle for the year to end of September 2008 showed sales of about �59m, up 20pc on the previous year, putting the company in the top 50 firms by turnover in Norfolk, north Suffolk and east Cambridgeshire.

But with a UK market share of 4.2pc – making it the country's third biggest crisp brand – Mr Bradley said Kettle's story of success and growth was set to continue.

He added: 'I see a really good growth trajectory for the European region, with Norwich at the head of it.

'As we grow and invest more in the business it will mean more staff.

'We see strong prospects for the future as long as we continue to get behind customers, understand what they want and deliver it.'

n For more images of Kettle Chips being made visit www.edp24.co.uk/business

n sam.williams@archant.co.uk