Food - Drink
The Small Canadian Town Known As The ‘French Fry Capital Of
The World’
By RYAN CASHMAN
With a name like French fries, you would think that they were invented in France, but that’s not actually the case because they were invented in Belgium. However, while fries are popular all over the world, the province of New Brunswick, Canada, is responsible for one-third of the world’s fries.
In the nineteenth century, Canadian woodsmen who were working in the fields of Maine brought some potato crops back to Florenceville-Bristol, where the crop took off because of the area's sandy, nutrient-rich soil. It was a matter of time before someone came along to transform the crop into something huge.
Florenceville-Bristol became the French fry capital of the world in 1957, when four brothers took their knowledge of agriculture and entrepreneurship to start the famous potato brand McCain Foods. Though the company's products are sold in over 160 countries, the global headquarters of McCain Foods remains in Florenceville-Bristol.