Viral Spud Bros wanted to make jacket potatoes ‘sexy again’ in 2024
Brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson went viral this year after setting up a jacket potato business in Preston.
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Your support makes all the difference.Viral TikTokers known as the Spud Bros vowed to make jacket potatoes “sexy again” as the food became a global phenomenon in 2024.
Brothers Jacob Nelson 29, and Harley Nelson, 22, from Preston in Lancashire, have earned millions of views on social media and attracted 3.3 million followers on TikTok after sharing videos of their daily life serving “British delicacy” jacket potatoes from their mobile shop, which they call their tram.
The food became popular in 2024 as TikTok accounts shared behind-the-scenes videos about jacket potato vendors.
They included Spudman, who has 3.8 million followers and was visited by actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in July as they promoted their film Deadpool vs Wolverine.
The Spud Bros share point-of-view (POV) videos showing them building jacket potatoes with various fillings, including baked beans, cheese, chilli and tuna, while dishing out some “northern banter”.
One of their videos, watched by more than 77.8 million people, showed them giving away free jacket potatoes to their first customers of the day – two teenage girls who both ordered cheese and beans.
“The main reason why we wanted to go on to TikTok was to basically make jacket potatoes sexy again,” Jacob told the PA news agency.
Asked if they thought they were the reason jacket potatoes have become trendy in 2024, Jacob said: “We were maybe there at the right time, in the right place.
“I don’t know if we started the hype.
“It’s a bit of a coincidence, when we started posting, just two young lads from Preston and just wanting to post our journey and post our story, and the next minute, everybody was eating jacket potatoes.”
They believe their sense of humour helps make their videos relatable to a wide audience, and has drawn people from Amsterdam, Japan and Australia to Preston for a spud.
“I think it’s just authentic, relatable selling the humble jacket potato, which is a British delicacy,” said Jacob.
“We put ourselves out there. We’re very open, transparent and it’s refreshing for people. What you see is what you get.”
They are also known for their generosity, serving a free jacket potato to the first and last customers, and occasionally treating lucky individuals to free televisions as they wait in line.
“It’s just giving back to what people have given us. It feels amazing to be able to make someone’s day, to be able to make them happy,” said Harley.
Jacob added: “We are a big believer in the more you give out, you’ll probably gain in other ways.”
They took over the business from their father’s friend Keith Roberts, who gave Jacob his “first ever Saturday job selling potatoes when I was 14”, and they credit their father for starting the TikTok account.
The main reason why we wanted to go on to TikTok was to basically make jacket potatoes sexy again
“It was actually my dad who started the TikTok account, and he got up to 60,000 followers, and he was doing these little dances around the tram in Preston,” Jacob said.
“We rebranded to Spud Bros in 2023, 13 months ago, and I think within two or three days of posting a video, I think our second video went viral, it just snowballed from there.”
The brothers said their vision for Spud Bros was to inspire young people from “a little potato tram in Preston” to pursue their passions and learn “how you can build a brand and a business in a positive way”.
“Literally, one video can change your life forever. If you have an idea or a vision, just absolutely go for it. Keep consistent. Just keep going and just keep grinding and hustling with it,” said Jacob.
Harley added: “Stay true to yourself whilst doing it.”
The Spud Bros are in Flag Market, Cheapside, Preston, and in December they opened a new pop-up shop in Soho, London, but they hope to “get more shops on the horizon” in 2025 and continue “growing the brand through social media”.