Lay's Announces 10 Lucky Semifinalists In Latest "Do Us A Flavor" Program

Three Finalist Flavors to be Formally Revealed July 18

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Jul 10, 2017, 16:46 ET

PLANO, Texas, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The submissions are in — and your favorite flavor might soon be making its way to the chip aisle. Lay's, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito Lay division, today announced it has narrowed its "Do Us a Flavor" contest submissions to 10 semifinalist flavors. Three lucky finalists will see their flavors come to life this summer, and one will be awarded the life-changing $1 million grand prize.

Introducing Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" 2017 Semifinalists

Since January, consumers have shared their passion for unique Lay's flavors by pitching their hearts out on www.Lays.com, all in hopes of their idea becoming the next great potato chip flavor. Now in its fourth year, this year's "Do Us a Flavor" contest asked fans nationwide to share their most creative "pitches" through a photo, video and/or written description that captured the inspiration behind their flavor ideas. The "Do Us a Flavor" semifinalist flavors (in alphabetical order by semifinalist last name) are:

"Lay's Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Popper" from Nick Arndt (Massillon, Ohio)
"Lay's Toasted Ravioli" from Trezette Dixon (St. Louis, Mo.)
"Lay's Wavy Avocado Toast" from Vanessa Herberger (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)
"Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese" from Lindsay Hoffman (Palm City, Fla.)
"Lay's Nashville Hot Chicken" from Hope Pan (Gainesville, Fla.)
"Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato" from Gregory Pope (Charlotte, N.C.)
"Lay's Kettle Cooked Smoked Gouda and Honey" from Brandon Foster (Saratoga Springs, Utah)
"Lay's Wavy Spinach Artichoke Dip" from Scott Merz (Grand Haven, Mich.)
"Lay's Crispy Taco" from Ellen Sarem (San Antonio, Texas)
"Lay's Sloppy Joe" from Chris Vail (Seattle, Wash.)

"This year, for the first time on 'Do Us a Flavor,' we're building some anticipation by giving America a glimpse into the potato chip flavor ideas that rose to the top," said Sarah Guzman, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay. "With this year's twist of 'The Pitch,' we were able to truly see our fans' creativity and overall appetite for living life flavorfully. So many personal stories showed us that many of life's greatest moments are wrapped up in flavor and we wanted to share those with America."

From the pool of semifinalists, a judging panel made up of chefs, foodies and flavor experts will select the three finalist flavors that will be fully developed by Frito-Lay's culinary experts and brought to market later this month. The winning flavor – as determined by fan votes – will be revealed in the fall. Semifinalists each receive $10,000 in prize money, the two runner-up finalists will win $50,000, and the grand prize winner will take home a $1 million check.

To help kick off the finalist flavor reveal, fans will be able to taste and enjoy the three finalist flavors at an event hosted by Lay's in New York City on July 18. Can you guess which of these 10 flavors will make it to the next round?

Brief Contest History
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 million-dollar 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.

For more information and official contest rules, please visit 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 approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, 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 fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America