A "chance meeting" in Heathrow between a Starbucks executive and a packet of Darling Spuds has resulted in the crisp brand becoming available in 5,700 of the coffee chain's North American outlets.

Two of the six flavours - Sea Salt and Sour Cream with a hint of Mexican Chilli - are being rolled into the coffee shops now, followed by the rest of the range later this year.

"The deal, our biggest yet, came about when a Starbucks bigwig was enticed by our brand's quirky English personality," said Judy Willis, co-founder of brand owner Salty Dog. The dedicated range comes in exclusive Starbucks emblazoned packaging and is produced under licence in Phoenix to keep the carbon footprint to a minimum.

Darling Spuds is already exported to several countries, but the Starbucks deal was the first "of sufficient volume to justify an under-licence approach".