Phileas Fogg snacks are a brand of snack products in the United Kingdom based on snacks from around the world. Each bag originally featured a cartoon picture of Phileas Fogg (hero of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days) along with a letter from him explaining where in the world he found the particular snack, and the adventures he had trying to acquire it. The products were made more exciting by never being widely available in supermarkets. They were most often found in off licences, as with their strong flavours they made an ideal accompaniment to alcohol. The range included small garlic breads ('Mignons Morceaux') and tortilla chips ('Californian Corn Chips') and a spicy coated nut based product ('Shanghai Nuts').
The first Phileas Fogg snack products appeared in 1982. In March of that year a new company, Derwent Valley Foods was founded in a portable cabin in Consett. There were four directors originally, three of whom had previous experience in snack manufacturing. They saw a gap in the market for a range of snacks specifically aimed at adults, rather than just normal crisps and snacks which were available at the time. In aiming to create a premium brand distinguished by its authenticity, quality and excitement the Phileas Fogg brand name was settled on. They began television advertisements in 1988.
As a result of the products' success the company expanded to three locations and more than 250 employees on Medomsley Road, Consett.
The company became well known in the area for sponsorship activities as well as setting up the Acorn Trust in Consett.
In 1990 Derwent Valley Foods became the first snack company to be accredited with BS5750 (ISO 9000).
In March 1993, the company was sold to United Biscuits and fell under the umbrella of KP Snacks. In 2009 the Fogg brand was relaunched with new television advertisements, new products and new packaging. The product line now includes regular potato crisps.
The original non-crisp-based snacks were removed from the range during the re-branding so 'Mignon Morceaux' and 'Shanghai Nuts' ceased to be available; however, certain UK supermarkets (Waitrose and M&S food) have 'own-brand' equivalents of these in larger stores for those lamenting the loss of the more original snacks.