Out Of The Blue…
The WhaleTails Tortilla Chip Story

It’s often said that the best ideas come when you least expect them and change your life forever. That’s for sure what happened with Whale Tails…

It was the fall of 1989 and unusually warm, even for Southern California. Ric and Rick were looking out the windshield of a ’52 Chevy truck at the biggest south swell of the season. As the aqua lines marched in from the horizon, the two friends were laughing about how little cash they had and a few of the choices they had made since meeting up in fifth grade.

As the surf got louder and with a little over three dollars between them, they headed down to the corner store and grabbed an oversized bag of chips and a container of the brightest non-refrigerated guacamole ever made! That’s when it happened; the light went on and the idea for Whale Tails was born.

Over the years, surfing had become the catalyst for many adventures.

The original Whale Tail was an outline of Cat Paw’s tail drawn on the back of the Adopt A Whale envelope. Ric’s wife, Terry, grabbed some tortillas and cut out the shapes as the oil heated up in the skillet. She tossed them in and the three friends could not believe their eyes as Whale Tails came to life! Just like in nature, no two were alike.

The shape was perfect. We put some salsa in a bowl and gave them the true test. Thanks to nature, they were made for dipping.

I wish I could say that the rest was easy, but I can tell you that really good things seem to take their own sweet time. It was important to us to build a business that was true to our original vision and reflective of our goals to get more involved in the world.

Aided by our appearances as “Snack of the Day” on Rachel Ray and “Road Tested with the Neelys” on the Food Network, Whale Tails has grown quickly from its humble beginnings.

And when it came time to choose the art for our two new flavors, Wyland — the world-renowned marine artist and environmentalist — was the perfect choice.

As part of our newly formed partnership with the Wyland Foundation , one of Wyland’s famous seascapes will appear on each of the three flavors of Whale Tails: the newly released Hawaiian barbecue will feature “Dawn of Creation,” the new blue corn flavor will feature “Orca Journey” and the original yellow corn will feature “Hawaii Endangered Species.

The partnership, however, goes far deeper than art. Both Whale Tails and Wyland have always held fast to our goals , as described by the Wyland foundation mission statement: “promoting, protecting, and preserving the world’s ocean, waterways, and marine life.”

This commitment to ocean life has been integral to both the product and the mission of Whale Tails since its inception in 2006. What began in Ocean Beach as a stovetop experiment after a day of surfing, Whale Tails are now available in Southern California Whole Foods locations. You will also find our chips at Jimbos Markets in San Diego, as well as at many of the community markets along the coast from San Diego, north to San Francisco, Oregon and Washington. Our friends at Birch Aquarium in La Jolla and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago realized that Whale Tails were a natural fit and if you’re in the area, you should swing by and check out their exhibits. It’s amazing how much you can learn in a day that will stay with you the rest of your life.

Whale Tails is growing beyond our wildest expectations! If we’re not in your town yet, we’re working on it. You can click on where to buy to find a retail location near you. If we have not made it to a location near you please visit our online store and we will be happy to send some out to you.

One taste of our chips and we think you’ll agree that the flavor is fantastic, the quality unsurpassed and that the shape holds promise, adventure and salsa alike!

An ocean of thanks…
Terry, Rick, and Ric