CHEEZ-IT
THE FAMOUS CHEESE CRACKER
Cheez-Its were invented in 1921 by The Green & Green Company in Dayton, Ohio. Cheez-Its were originally marketed as a shelf safe “rarebit” cracker after the Welsh rarebit dish, a dish of melted cheese over toast. At the time most crackers were not made with real cheese unlike Cheez-Its making them stand out in taste. In the early 1930s The Green & Green Company redesigned the Cheez- It packaging from green and white to a red, yellow, and orange design that is still featured today.
REAL CHEESE, REAL SUCCESS
A few years later in 1932 Sunshine Biscuits purchased The Green & Green Company and the Cheez-Its line. Sunshine Biscuits expanded the distribution of Cheez-Its worldwide and launched the 100% Real Cheese campaign highlighting the use of real cheese rather than artificial cheese flavoring. The campaign became one of the brand's defining features, helping Cheez-It become a household name. In 2001 The Kellogg Company acquired the Cheez-It brand that led to the release of new Cheez-It flavors including White Cheddar, Hot & Spicy, Extra Toasty, Grooves , and Snap'd , while continuing to highlight its signature use of 100% real cheese. Today, Cheez-It remains one of the world's most recognizable cheese cracker brands, with its iconic square shape and original recipe continuing to make it a favorite in homes for more than a century.
