Cheez-It crackers were introduced on March 31, 1921. Weston Green introduced the new cracker through his Green & Green Company in Dayton, Ohio, where the business already made baked foods such as Dayton crackers, graham crackers, and gingersnaps.
The company marketed Cheez-It as a “baked rarebit,” referring to Welsh rarebit, a dish made with melted cheese served over toast. That description highlighted the cracker’s cheese flavor and baked texture. The first Cheez-It logo was submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 23, 1921.
Cheez-It’s history is sometimes confused with the founding of Green & Green, which began in 1907. That earlier date marks the company’s origin, not the launch of Cheez-It itself. Sunshine Biscuits acquired Green & Green in the early 1930s, helping distribute the crackers more widely. Later ownership passed to Keebler, Kellogg’s, and ultimately Kellanova.