America Has Voted! Lay's Crispy Taco Crowned 2017 Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" Winner

Ellen Sarem from San Antonio, Texas Awarded $1 Million for Fan-Favorite Flavor

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Oct 11, 2017, 07:00 ET

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, three new flavor-packed dishes were transformed into Lay's newest potato chips, with all vying for a chance to be the next Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" contest champion. America stepped up to the challenge by trying all three flavors and voting. And, today, Lay's — one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division — is pleased to name Lay's Crispy Taco this year's "Do Us a Flavor" winner. Ellen Sarem, who submitted the idea and inspiration behind this year's winning flavor, will take home $1 million as part of her victory.

Sarem, a San Antonio, Texas native, drew inspiration for the Crispy Taco potato chip from her years of working hard to perfect her taco recipe for her now-fiancé. Her first attempt at making the dish was less than perfect, but her now-successful flavorful technique includes fresh ingredients like lettuce, tomato and cheese and it has proven to be quite the crowd pleaser.

"This year's competition was fueled not only by great flavors, but also by the people and stories behind each one of them. We've now introduced a total of 14 flavors to America throughout this iconic contest and, if one thing has remained unchanged, it is that our fans have incredible ideas for the next flavors of Lay's," said Sarah Guzman, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay. "We've been following along with the fan responses this year, and we are beyond excited to congratulate Ellen on her $1 million flavor idea – Crispy Taco."

When asked what she plans to do with the $1 million grand prize, Sarem said she is looking forward to taking a family vacation, while also setting something aside for her young son's future education. The two runner-up finalists will be walking away as winners too as Lindsay Hoffman from Palm City, Fla., who submitted Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese, and Gregory Pope from Charlotte, N.C., who submitted Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato, will each receive $50,000.

About the Contest
PepsiCo has held "Do Us a Flavor" contests in numerous countries with consumers suggesting millions of ideas for chip flavors around the world. In July 2012, the Lay's brand launched its first "Do Us a Flavor" contest in the U.S., which resulted in Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread submitted by Karen Weber-Mendham, a children's librarian from Land O'Lakes, Wis., being selected as the first $1 million winner. The contest returned to the U.S. for a second time in Jan. 2014, which resulted in Lay's Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger submitted by Meneko Spigner McBeth, a nurse from Deptford, N.J., as the second grand-prize winner. And in January 2015, the third installment began, which later crowned Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy the winner. The winning submission was from Hailey Green, a travel agent from Noblesville, Ind.

More details and official contest rules are available at www.Lays.com.

About Lay's
Lay's is one of the brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $15 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay. Learn more about Lay's by visiting www.facebook.com/lays or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lays. You can also follow Lay's on Instagram by visiting http://instagram.com/lays.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2015, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America