F. Nephi Grigg is one of the few people who significantly changed American culture without attracting a lot of attention to himself. He did not have what one would call a household name, but nearly every household has benefited from frozen french fries or tater tots, and without Grigg those items would not be possible.
However, more than that, Grigg, who died last week at the age of 81, should be remembered for a work ethic that made Ore-Ida Foods a success, that led to innovations in the food industry and that improved the society in which he lived.When Grigg and his brother bought a bankrupt frozen food plant in Oregon in 1951, no one had successfully frozen potatoes without turning them black. Yet he needed to process vegetables year-round in order to make the plant a success. He set about solving the problem and soon learned that sugar water held the key to a perfect, ready-to-eat frozen potato.
That discovery made the year-round widespread use of potatoes possible. Later, he invented Tater Tots as a way to use potato scraps left over from the peeling process - an enormously popular food that used food that previously was being discarded.
But Grigg's notable contributions go far beyond the business world. He served as a mission president in Scotland for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he used his resources to help fund the LDS Hospital Deseret Foundation and the cardiovascular research laboratory at LDS Hospital. He also was an avid Scouter, earning the Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope awards from the Boy Scouts of America.
As an entrepreneur, an innovator, a volunteer and a philanthropist, Grigg left an impressive legacy.