U.S. father, son drove for ketchup chips to Canada

An American father-son duo drove for two days in an old army jeep just to buy ketchup chips in Canada last week.

“We just crossed the border to buy the chips,” Rich Lieberman told CTV News Toronto on Saturday after buying 40 burgundy bags of Lay’s potato chips that are only available in Canada.

Father and son Rich and Jacob Lieberman visited a grocery store in Ontario on Saturday to buy ketchup chips (Facebook/ No Frills). Lieberman and his 15-year-old son, Jacob, got into their old army Jeep, which only travels about 70 kilometers per hour, in Virginia and looked at Niagara Falls, Ont.

“We joked it was a grocery run,” he said. “We have some time to kill before school starts.”

While the drive could technically have taken less than 10 hours, Lieberman and Jacob chose to drive their open-air Jeep named Gertrude down the backroads to their final destination – No Frills on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

“Jacob is deaf and he’s legally blind so he can still see, but he’s legally blind, so he likes the feel of the car,” Lieberman said. With the wind blowing in his face, Jacob smiled half way through the drive, he added.

Jacob discovered his love for potato chips doused in ketchup-flavoured seasoning while on another father-son road trip last summer driving through Canada on the Alaska Highway.

Through sign language, Jacob said that he is a fan of the Canadian classic because of his passion for ketchup.

“This kid has been known to put ketchup on apples,” Lieberman said.

Together, the duo has road tripped all 50 states, and half of Canada, including the Northwest Territories.

Jacob Lieberman rides in his father’s army Jeep in front of Niagara Falls, Ont. (Given). Lieberman acknowledged that the tangy snack is available to order on Amazon, but he said, “this trip is about having fun.”

When they arrived at their destination and began loading a grocery cart with ketchup chips, an employee noticed and helped them track down a box.

On Saturday, Jim’s No Frills on Lundy’s Lane posted a photo of Jacob on Facebook. The post has already garnered over 9,000 likes with one person offering to send Jacob his favorite chips a few times a year.

Jacob Lieberman stands next to his beloved ketchup chips after traveling for two days (Provided). Canadians have been known to travel south of the border to Trader Joe’s for mixed nut butters and dark chocolate peanut butter cups, but others commented on the low-key local treasures worth the trip, including Coffee Crisps and Smarties.

Next summer, Lieberman said they plan to return to Canada for a year’s worth of ketchup chips. But until then, they will finish their 40 sacks.