Billy Goats Not So Gruff

KSDK is running a nice little story about the entrepreneurial success of the Billy Goat Chip Company in Saint Louis:

It all started in 2002 as a side item at their restaurant, but it didn’t take long to realize it was a stand-out item rather than a side. So they closed their restaurant and decided to focus on chips.

“What we’re trying to do is bring out the potato,” Lyons says.

Of course each chip is sprinkled with a magical dust, then bagged, boxed and hand delivered to more than 150 places […]

It’s not as if these guys hope to one day dethrone Lays.

“Our focus is to be Saint Louis’ potato chip. We want to stay hand made, handcrafted, the local guy,” Lyons added.

I recently purchased my first bag of Billy Goat Chips. Although they cost more than most chips, I have to say that it was worth every penny and more. The company is a good example of how smaller companies can survive and even thrive while competing against corporate giants if they offer a superior product. Lays and Ruffles may be cheaper, but their industrial style of production prevents them from offering the best product possible.

The beauty of the free market is that it allows for both options to exist. People who want or need to conserve money can opt for cheaper, mass-produced chips, while others concerned more with quality than price can purchase craft chips like Billy Goat, and people are always free to make a different choice the next time they visit the supermarket. Contrast this with the government, where, at best, a majority imposes its will on the whole population, and those choices are extremely difficult to undo. It is easy to understand why government controls should be limited to only those areas where they are absolutely necessary.