It may seem like the crackers category is a pretty narrow space to play in. But Mary's Gone Crackers has been working that category dozens of ways since 2004, and now bakes in what they claim is the largest certified gluten-free facility in North America—425,000 sq. ft. in Reno, Nev.
"Mary’s proves you don’t need wheat to make irresistible, toasty and tasty crackers that are healthy too," says Diane Hoffpauer, director of research, development & innovation.
Within that crackers category, Mary's has zeroed in on the better-for-you niche, and for them it means not only gluten-free but non-GMO, organic and devoid of major allergens. Mary's Gone Crackers uses only whole, organic, plant-based ingredients free from wheat, nuts, eggs and dairy. These are certainly not saltines, and they're light years ahead of Ritz.
Increasingly, that also means seeds. Sesame seeds have been among the key ingredients of most Mary's products from the start, along with brown rice, quinoa and flax. But in 2013 the Super Seed line (now called Classic) debuted, with pumpkin, sunflower and other seeds playing starring roles and contributing 5g of plant-based protein.
Even newer (2017) is the Real Thin line, savory, toasted crackers in sea salt, garlic rosemary, sweet onion and cayenne pepper.
The R&D team at this small company consists of just Hoffpauer and Makoto Goto, who is kind of on loan from the parent firm Kameda Seika. Since late 2012, Mary's Gone Crackers has been owned by the Japanese firm, which starting making rice crackers just after World War II.
Mary's has been a real growth engine for the global company, especially leading the way in better-for-you product development. As a result of the association with Kameda Seika, Mary's products are found not just in North America but also in Australia; they're also available online.
Mary's Gone Crackers currently has 15 flavor varieties. The originals come in "original" (ingredients are organic whole grain brown rice, organic whole grain quinoa, organic brown flax seeds, organic brown sesame seeds, filtered water, sea salt and organic wheat-free tamari) plus jalapeno, black pepper and herb. Super Seeds Classics have whole grain brown rice, whole grain quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, brown sesame seeds, brown flax seeds, poppy seeds, seaweed and black pepper – everything but the sea salt is organic. Super Seed Everything includes seeds from pumpkin, sunflower, brown sesame, brown flax and poppy.
In addition to the aforementioned flavors in the Real Thin line, launching later this year will be Olive Oil + Cracked Black Pepper, Tomato + Basil, and Chipotle.
Mary’s Gone Crackers started with a real Mary – Mary Waldner and her husband, who started making crackers in their home. She remained a consultant to the company till this year.
