Cheez-It

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Baked cheese crackers

title: "Cheez-It" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["brand-name-crackers", "cheese", "history-of-dayton,-ohio", "mars-brands", "products-introduced-in-1921"] description: "Baked cheese crackers" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheez-It" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Baked cheese crackers ::

::data[format=table title="infobox brand"]

Field	Value
name	Cheez-It
logo	Cheez-It Logo.svg
logo_size	200px
image	Cheez-It-Crackers.jpg
image_size	250px
type	Cracker
currentowner	Mars Inc.
producedby	Kellanova (via Sunshine Biscuits)
introduced
previousowners	Green & Green Company (1921–1932)
Sunshine Biscuits (1932–1996)
Keebler Company (1996–2001)
website
::

Cheez-It is a brand of cheese crackers manufactured by Kellanova through its Sunshine Biscuits division. Approximately 26 by, the square 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. 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.

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. 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. 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, as well as Australia in April 2024. Ireland and the United Kingdom followed in September 2024.

Cracker

Cheez-It crackers are 26 by rectangles, though they are often believed to be square shaped. Cheez-It crackers are made with actual cheese, and are marketed by Kellogg's as such.

Flavors

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/2020-09-29_21_09_38_A_sample_of_Cheddar_Sour_Cream_and_Onion_Cheez-It_Snap'd_in_the_Dulles_section_of_Sterling,_Loudoun_County,_Virginia.jpg" caption="Cheddar Sour Cream and Onion Cheez-It Snap'd"] ::

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

Buffalo Wing
Cheddar Jack
Duoz Sharp Cheddar & Parmesan
Duoz Bacon & Cheddar
Duoz Jalapeño & Cheddar Jack
Duoz Pesto and Mozzarella
Extra Toasty
Extra Toasty Cheddar Jack
Extra Big
Extra Cheesy
Extra Crunchy Bold Cheddar
Grooves Bold Cheddar
Grooves Sharp White Cheddar
Grooves Zesty Cheddar Ranch
Hot & Spicy (without Tabasco sauce)
Italian Four Cheese
Original
Pepper Jack
Puff'd Double Cheese
Puff'd White Cheddar
Puff'd Cheddar Jack
Puff'd Cheese Pizza
Reduced Fat Original
Smoked Cheddar
Smoked Gouda
Snack Mix Original
Snack Mix Double Cheese
Snap'd Cheddar Sour Cream & Onion
Snap'd Double Cheese
Snap'd Extra Crunchy Margherita Pizza
Snap'd Extra Crunchy Sharp White Cheddar
White Cheddar
Whole Grain

Discontinued

Currently discontinued or limited time Cheez-It varieties include:

Asiago
Atomic Cheddar
Baby Swiss
Barbecue & Cheddar Snack Mix
Cheez It Big (replaced by the "Extra Big" variety)
Chili Cheese
Chipotle Cheddar
Colby
Cheese Pizza
Duoz Smoked Cheddar and Monterey Jack
Duoz Zesty Queso and Cheddar Blanco
Gripz
Grooves Scorchin' Hot Cheddar
Hidden Valley Ranch (limited time offering)
Hot & Spicy (with Tabasco sauce)
Hot & Spicy Grooves
Mozzarella
Nacho
Parmesan & Garlic
Provolone
Romano
Cheez It Scrabble Junior
Snack Mix Sriracha
Snack Mix Sweet and Salty
Snap'd Barbecue
Snap'd Jalapeno Jack
Snap'd Parmesan Ranch
Twists Buffalo Bleu
Wendy's Baconator (limited time offering)
Zingz Chipotle Cheddar
Zingz Queso Fundido

References

"Dayton's little-known Cheezy past". [[Cox Media Group]].
Powell, Lisa. (March 22, 2021). "Celebrate the Cheez-It! The crispy crackers were invented in Dayton more than 100 years ago". Cox Media Group.
Robinson, Amelia. (April 30, 2020). "Were Cheez-Its really invented in Dayton? Yes, and here's the story". Cox Media Group.
(May 21, 2021). "A Brief History of the Cheez-It".
(August 8, 2024). "Inside the KCK factory where one of America's most popular snack foods is made".
(October 2, 2023). "Kellanova, WK Kellogg shares slump on first day after spinoff". Reuters.
Company, Kellogg. "KELLOGG COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES SEPARATION INTO TWO COMPANIES, KELLANOVA AND WK KELLOGG CO".
(14 August 2024). "Mars to acquire snack maker Kellanova in $36 billion deal". CNBC.
Taylor, Bill. (January 23, 2020). "New Cheez-It Crackers Now Available In Canada".
(January 22, 2020). "Cheez-It Makes a Crunch in Canadian Market". Kellogg Canada.
(2024-05-26). "US snack Cheez-Its Snap'd now available in Australian supermarkets - News + Articles - delicious.com.au".
. (September 10, 2024). ["Kellanova's Cheez-It Brand Arrives in the UK & Ireland to Delight European Tastebuds"](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kellanovas-cheez-it-brand-arrives-in-the-uk--ireland-to-delight-european-tastebuds-302243779.html). *Kellanova*.
Sosland, Zachary. (July 10, 2024). "Cheez-It items will be available in UK".
Ganz, Stephanie. (November 15, 2023). "Why Cheez-Its have been anything but square since 1921".
(June 18, 2019). "The Untold Truth Of Cheez-It Crackers". Mashed.com.
"Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers". Cheez-it.com.
(Apr 20, 2019). "Unfortunately, we did end up discontinuing our Sriracha Snack Mix.".

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