The podcast Underunderstood put out a subscribers-only episode about the weird fact that Cool Ranch Doritos had, in the hosts’ memories, been called “Cooler Ranch” for some period of their childhood. But of course now all Cool Ranch Doritos are just…cool. Not cooler. There was basically zero information on the internet about when they were Cooler and what that meant? Did they taste different? When and why was the change made? When did they change back? 

As a listener, I picked up the torch. I had two research objectives: I suspected all this information would be gleanable from newspapers, which often included sales advertisements. But what I really thought would be definitive would be talking to someone who had worked at Frito-Lay.

First, I actually uncovered a number of articles about the change, and that Nacho Cheese Doritos at the same time received their own re-brand, becoming “Nacho Cheesier” Doritos. I was able to pinpoint exactly when the change was made, finding articles wherein people at the time had taste-tested the new chips. They were cooler.

Second, I decided I would track down a person who was there at the time, someone the hosts could interview. I searched for articles in which a source from Frito-Lay had been interviewed in the early 1990s, and zeroed in on a man named Steve Liguori, who had been in charge of marketing at the time. A few more clicks, and I discovered he was still working in the wider food business world, and seemed like the affable sort of guy who would take their call.

The hosts were able to publish a main feed episode with the mystery solved and including an interview with Steve.