​An interview with David Cuoio, the Simplot Historian.

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1. What does Simplot's agricultural future look like?
Simplot’s future is very bright. Thanks to superior management,
ourstanding products, and customer-oriented services, Simplot has
recently experienced some of the best years in the Company’s long
and colorful history. We have every reason to believe that this
success will continue in the future.
2. Are there any new break throughs in sustainability(of products)?
Refer to Sustainability Summary
3. What kinds of energy efficient improvements has the company made?
In what ways have they helped the company?
Refer to Sustainability Summary
4. What kind of person was J.R. known as?
That’s a difficult subject to cover in less than 10,000 words.
However, I think the public perception of J. R. is that he was a
very successful businessman and he was connected to the potato
industry. Also, many locals know he was one of the small group of
investors who funded Micron Technology in its early years and
helped it to become the sophisticated, successful enterprise it is
today.
On a more personal level, J. R. was a good friend to many. He
loved life and lived it to its fullest. He was a dedicated family man
and treated his employees like family. He had a knack for looking
at a complicated business problem, breaking it down to its basic
components, and deciding the best course of action. In this respect,
many considered him to be a business and financial genius.
5. What product is the Simplot company most well known for
worldwide?
The Simplot Company probably is best known for its french fries.
J. R. and his employees invented the first commercially viable
frozen french fries in the late 1940s and began mass distribution in
1953. Production and distribution subsequently grew by leaps and bounds. The introduction of frozen french fries helped to take the

burgeoning frozen food industry to the next level in the U. S. as
more Amercians became familiar with frozen food products.
6. Are there any expansion plans in the future?
We are building a new potato processing plant in Caldwell that is
scheduled for completion in 2014, and we are planning to start
construction of a new Company headquarters building in Boise in
a couple of years.
7. How have the company's improvements effected the community?
The Company has provided jobs for thousands of Treasure Valley
residents and other Idahoans since J. R. founded the Company in
1929. This influx of capital has created ripples in the community
that have helped it to grow in many ways. In addition, donations
by the Company and the Simplot family have supported education,
the arts, and many other worthy causes in a variety of ways.
8. How have the company's improvements effected humanity?
It’s hard to say exactly how the Company has affected humanity.
However, possible contributions include providing a sophisticated
food production and delivery system in many parts of the world.
Also, we have generated jobs for thousands of people in North
America, Australia, China, and New Zealand where our major
operations are located, and to a lesser degree in a variety of other
countries where we maintain sales offices.
9. What one aspect of the corporation is the most crucial to the company's
success?
The three pillars on which the Company is built are passion for
people, spirit of innovation, and respect for resources. These
principles are very important to us and provide the guidelines by
which we conduct our businesses around the world. The three
pillars are explained in more detail on page 8 of our Sustainability
Summary.
10.Are there any techniques/procedures that the company still uses today
that were practiced when they were first starting out?
One of the primary tenets on which J. R. built his Company was to
“hire good people and turn ’em loose.” The philosophy of giving
employees a great deal of responsibility and the authority to make
decisions has always been a hallmark of the Simplot Company. It is undoubtedly one of the main reasons we have been so successful

over the years.