(Union-Bulletin) - Kennedy and Tim’s General Manager Jeff Leichleiter kicked it off last month by passing out retro bags of the chips autographed by Kennedy during the Seattle Food & Wine Experience. They even brought back one of its retired flavors — Coney Island, made with mustard.

The celebration continues throughout the year with special events and promotions, including 30th anniversary gift giveaways at the Don Carlo tasting room in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater.

Truth be told, Kennedy’s deep career roots have helped on more than one occasion with his transition to grapes.

Already a pro with industry trade shows and connected to purchasing agents, Kennedy has benefitted from learning the ins and outs of retail long before he ever got into the wine trade.

Knowing the potato chip buyers in the big chains positioned him to meet some of the wine buyers who have helped Don Carlo get representation on shelves at QFC, Safeway and Fred Meyer stores, he said.

“Otherwise, the chances of me getting into grocery chains would be pretty nil as a boutique winery,” Kennedy said.

But his own experience browsing the aisle of endless bottles of merlot and cabernet sauvignons always struck him for a couple of reasons.

One: He and Lori were always on the lookout for wines in the $20 range or less. And they always wondered how consumers who didn’t know the wineries specifically would ever choose from the vast selections.

Consequently, their price point on chardonnay is $20 (the full-bodied red varietals are in the $34 range on the Amazon store), and their winery narrative is focused specifically on Lori’s Italian family heritage and a tradition of winemaking that hearkens back to her relationship with her grandfather.

The road from Athena to potato chips was never expected to come full circle. Certainly Kennedy never imagined he’d make a return.

After getting his start at Nalley Fine Foods in Tacoma, he partnered with a trio of businessmen who included third-generation potato chip maker Horace Groff on what became the first kettle-style chip to make its Texas debut in Houston in 1983.

Kennedy ran production and was the purchasing agent for about three years before he longed to return to the Northwest.

He sold his shares in the company, took out a Small Business Administration loan, partnered with his brother-in-law and started Tim’s.

His connections to purchasing agents helped introduce a Washington state kettle chip with big crunch and bold flavors, cooked exclusively in peanut oil.