Cheez-It

Cheez-It
Product type	Cracker
Owner	Kellogg Company; (Sunshine Biscuits)
Introduced	1921; 102 years ago
Previous owners	Green & Green Company (1921–1932); Sunshine Biscuits (1932–1996); Keebler Company (1996–2001)
Website	cheezit.com

Cheez-It is a brand of cheese cracker manufactured by the Kellogg Company through its Sunshine Biscuits division. Approximately 26 by 24 millimetres (1.0 by 0.94 in),^{[citation needed]} the rectangular crackers are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, cheese, skim milk, salt, and spices.

History[edit]

The history of Cheez-It crackers began in 1907, when Weston Green founded the Green & Green Company in Dayton, Ohio. The 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 1932, 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] Cheez-Its were officially launched in Canada in January 2020.^[5]^[6]

Cracker[edit]

Cheez-It crackers are 26-by-24-millimetre (1.0 by 0.94 in) rectangles, though they are often believed to be squares^{[citation needed]}. Cheez-It crackers are made with actual cheese, and are marketed by Kellogg's as such.^[7]

Flavors and types[edit]

There are a variety of Cheez-It flavors and products, including:^[8]

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 Big
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
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
Zingz Chipotle Cheddar
Zingz Queso Fundido

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

Discontinued[edit]

Former offerings 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^[9]
Twists Buffalo Bleu

References[edit]

^ 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.
^ 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. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
^ Robinson, Amelia (April 30, 2020). "Were Cheez-Its really invented in Dayton? Yes, and here's the story". Dayton.com. Cox Media Group. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "A Brief History of the Cheez-It". Smithsonian Magazine. May 21, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
^ Taylor, Bill (January 23, 2020). "New Cheez-It Crackers Now Available In Canada". Canadify. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
^ "Cheez-It Makes a Crunch in Canadian Market" (Press release). Mississauga, Ontario: Kellogg Canada. January 22, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
^ Broome, Mary Patterson (June 18, 2019). "The Untold Truth Of Cheez-It Crackers". Mashed.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
^ "Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers". Cheez-it.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
^ @cheezit (Apr 20, 2019). "Unfortunately, we did end up discontinuing our Sriracha Snack Mix" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Twitter.

External links[edit]

Official website
Leo DeLuca (May 21, 2021). "A Brief History of the Cheez-It". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[1] 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.

[Powell_2021-2] 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. Retrieved July 30, 2023.

[Robinson_2020-3] Robinson, Amelia (April 30, 2020). "Were Cheez-Its really invented in Dayton? Yes, and here's the story". Dayton.com. Cox Media Group. Retrieved July 30, 2023.

[Smithsonian_2021-4] "A Brief History of the Cheez-It". Smithsonian Magazine. May 21, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2023.

[Canadify_2020-5] Taylor, Bill (January 23, 2020). "New Cheez-It Crackers Now Available In Canada". Canadify. Retrieved July 31, 2023.

[Kellogg_Canada_2020-6] "Cheez-It Makes a Crunch in Canadian Market" (Press release). Mississauga, Ontario: Kellogg Canada. January 22, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2023.

[7] Broome, Mary Patterson (June 18, 2019). "The Untold Truth Of Cheez-It Crackers". Mashed.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.

[8] "Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers". Cheez-it.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.

[9] @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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