
A Dutch snack company has created chips that taste like licking a 9-volt battery, targeting millennials with a bizarre tribute to childhood dares that perfectly captures how corporations now monetize even our most absurd memories.
Story Highlights
- Rewind brand launches 9-volt battery-flavored corn chips in Netherlands, targeting millennial nostalgia
- Professional flavorists created acidic, metallic taste to safely replicate childhood battery-licking experience
- Limited-edition product represents growing trend of experiential snacking and viral marketing strategies
- Launch includes plans for European expansion with Americans able to request samples
Nostalgia Marketing Reaches New Heights
Rewind’s 9-volt battery-flavored corn chips represent the ultimate fusion of childhood memories and corporate marketing. The Dutch snack brand specifically targets millennials and Gen Xers who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, when touching your tongue to a battery was a common dare among curious kids. This shared cultural experience, once referenced in viral Britney Spears interviews and countless playground conversations, has now become a legitimate business strategy for capturing consumer attention in an oversaturated snack market.
Professional Food Science Meets Childhood Memories
Chef and flavorist Mattias Larsson worked with Rewind’s development team to create what they call a “tongue-tingling effect” using entirely food-grade ingredients. The chips feature acidic notes and metallic undertones designed to replicate the distinctive sensation of battery contact without any actual electrical components. Antti Lauronen, head of creative and design at parent company Paulig, describes the product as a “delicious tribute to a weird universal memory,” emphasizing both safety protocols and broad market appeal.
Strategic Market Launch and Distribution
The battery-flavored chips officially launched in Dutch retail stores including AH, Jumbo, Plus, Hoogvliet, and PicNic on July 15, 2025. The Netherlands serves as a test market due to the country’s reputation for openness to food innovation and experimental products. Rewind plans broader European distribution based on consumer response, while Americans can already request samples through the company’s international outreach program, indicating potential global expansion beyond the initial European rollout.
Industry Impact and Cultural Significance
This launch accelerates the growing trend toward experiential snacking, where brands create products that evoke specific sensations rather than traditional flavors. The success of Rewind’s battery chips could influence competitors to develop their own memory-based products, potentially transforming how the snack industry approaches product development. While the novelty factor drives initial sales and social media buzz, the long-term success depends on sustained consumer interest and the brand’s ability to balance viral marketing with genuine product quality and repeat purchases.
Battery-flavored chips that taste like 'licking a 9-volt' target millennials hungry for '90s nostalgia https://t.co/n5PqR1tG6n
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) August 21, 2025
The battery chip phenomenon demonstrates how modern marketing transforms even the most unusual childhood experiences into commercial opportunities. This represents both impressive creativity in product development and a concerning trend where corporations commodify personal memories for profit, reflecting our culture’s endless appetite for nostalgia-driven consumption.
Sources:
Snacking Brand Rewind Unveils 9V Battery Flavoured Corn Chips
Snack Company Rewind Launches 9-Volt Battery Flavored Chips Capitalize Nostalgia
Rewind Launches Chips with 9-Volt Battery Flavor in the Netherlands
New Snack Brand Rewind Unveils 9-Volt Battery Flavoured Chips in the Netherlands
Dutch Company Makes Battery-Flavored Chips