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Cheez-It

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For the cheese curl snack, see Cheezies.

Cheez-It
Product typeCracker
OwnerKellanova (Kellogg's)
(Sunshine Biscuits)
Introduced1921; 103 years ago (1921)
Previous ownersGreen & Green Company (1921–1932)
Sunshine Biscuits (1932–1996)
Keebler Company (1996–2001)
Websitecheezit.com

Cheez-It is a brand of cheese crackers manufactured by Kellanova through its Sunshine Biscuits division. Approximately 26 by 24 mm (1.0 by 0.94 in), the rectangular crackers are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, cheese, skim milk, salt, and spices.

History

The history of Cheez-It crackers began in 1907, when Weston Green founded the Green & Green Company in Dayton, Ohio.[1] Green's company produced a variety of baked snack foods such as Dayton crackers, graham crackers, gingersnaps, and, during World War I, hardtack. On March 31, 1921, Green introduced Cheez-It crackers, commonly called Cheez-Its, as a new product. The company marketed the cracker as a "baked rarebit", a reference to a dish of melted cheese over toast. On May 23, 1921, the first Cheez-It logo was submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[1][2][3][4]

In the early 1930s, the Kansas City-based Sunshine Biscuits (which was known as the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company until 1947) acquired the Green & Green Company, and with it came the Cheez-It cracker. Sunshine Biscuits expanded the distribution and popularity of Cheez-It crackers across the country. In 1996, Keebler acquired Sunshine Biscuits, and in 2001, Kellogg's acquired Keebler, bringing Cheez-It crackers under its umbrella.[4][5] In late 2023, Kellogg's spun off its North American cereal division as WK Kellogg Co. The company's snack food business, including Cheez-It, became part of the renamed Kellanova.[6][7] On August 14, 2024, Kellanova announced Mars Inc., has entered into an agreement to acquire the Kellanova brand. The deal is anticipated to close early in 2025.

Cheez-Its were officially launched in Canada in January 2020,[8][9] followed by the United Kingdom and Ireland in September 2024.[10][11]

Cracker

Cheez-It crackers are 26-by-24-millimeter (1.0 by 0.94 in) rectangles, though they are often believed to be squares.[12] Cheez-It crackers are made with actual cheese, and are marketed by Kellogg's as such.[13]

Flavors and types

The original Cheez-It was the only product available until the 1980s; since then, have been over 50 different varieties of Cheez-It flavors and products, including:[14]

  • Buffalo Wing
  • Cheddar Jack
  • Cheez-It Big (a larger cracker more suitable for garnishing or dipping)
  • Cheese Pizza
  • Chipotle Cheddar
  • Duoz Sharp Cheddar & Parmesan
  • Duoz Bacon & Cheddar
  • Duoz Jalapeño & Cheddar Jack
  • Extra Toasty
  • Extra Toasty Cheddar Jack
  • Extra Big
  • Extra Cheesy
  • Extra Crunchy
  • Gripz "mighty tiny"
  • Grooves Bold Cheddar
  • Grooves Sharp White Cheddar
  • Grooves Zesty Cheddar Ranch
  • Grooves Scorchin' Hot Cheddar
  • Hot & Spicy (without Tabasco sauce)
  • Italian Four Cheese
  • Mozzarella
  • Original
  • Pepper Jack
  • Provolone (with real hickory smoke flavor added)
  • Puff'd
  • Queso Fundido
  • Reduced Fat
  • Reduced Fat White Cheddar
  • Scrabble Junior
  • Sizzlin' Bacon (limited availability)
  • Snack Mix
  • Snack Mix Double Cheese
  • Snack Mix Sweet & Salty
  • Snap'd
  • Snap'd Cheddar Sour Cream
  • Snap'd Double Cheese
  • Snap'd Jalapeño Jack
  • Snap'd Barbecue
  • White Cheddar
  • Whole Grain

Cheez-It Grooves is available in Canada as Cheez-It Crunch.

Discontinued

Discontinued Cheez-It varieties include:

  • Asiago
  • Atomic Cheddar
  • Baby Swiss
  • Barbecue & Cheddar Snack Mix
  • Cheesy Sour Cream & Onion
  • Chili Cheese
  • Colby
  • Duoz Smoked Cheddar and Monterey Jack
  • Duoz Zesty Queso and Cheddar Blanco
  • Hot & Spicy (with Tabasco sauce)
  • Hot & Spicy Grooves
  • Nacho
  • Parmesan & Garlic
  • Romano
  • Smoked Cheddar
  • Snack Mix Sriracha[15]
  • Twists Buffalo Bleu
  • Zingz Chipotle Cheddar
  • Zingz Queso Fundido

See also

References

Mars acquiring Kellanova

  1. ^ a b Robinson, Amelia. "Dayton's little-known Cheezy past". Dayton.com. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. ^ Powell, Lisa (March 22, 2021). "Celebrate the Cheez-It! The crispy crackers were invented in Dayton more than 100 years ago". Dayton.com. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Robinson, Amelia (April 30, 2020). "Were Cheez-Its really invented in Dayton? Yes, and here's the story". Dayton.com. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "A Brief History of the Cheez-It". Smithsonian Magazine. May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Mason, Randy; Davis, Monty (August 8, 2024). "Inside the KCK factory where one of America's most popular snack foods is made". Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Oguh, Chibuike; Vanaik, Granth (October 2, 2023). "Kellanova, WK Kellogg shares slump on first day after spinoff". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  7. ^ Company, Kellogg. "KELLOGG COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES SEPARATION INTO TWO COMPANIES, KELLANOVA AND WK KELLOGG CO". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Archived from the original on 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2023-09-19. {{cite press release}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ Taylor, Bill (January 23, 2020). "New Cheez-It Crackers Now Available In Canada". Canadify. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  9. ^ "Cheez-It Makes a Crunch in Canadian Market" (Press release). Mississauga, Ontario: Kellogg Canada. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  10. ^ "Kellanova's Cheez-It Brand Arrives in the UK & Ireland to Delight European Tastebuds" (Press release). Chicago: Kellanova. PR Newswire. September 10, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Sosland, Zachary (July 10, 2024). "Cheez-It items will be available in UK". Food Business News. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Ganz, Stephanie (November 15, 2023). "Why Cheez-Its have been anything but square since 1921". Quartz. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024. Despite marketing themselves as a square-shaped cracker, Cheez-Its measure 26 x 24 mm (1.0 by 0.94 in), making them technically rectangular.
  13. ^ Patterson Broome, Mary (June 18, 2019). "The Untold Truth Of Cheez-It Crackers". Mashed.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  14. ^ "Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers". Cheez-it.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  15. ^ @cheezit (Apr 20, 2019). "Unfortunately, we did end up discontinuing our Sriracha Snack Mix" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Twitter.
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