Mary’s Gone Crackers

Before I knew the story behind Mary’s Gone Crackers, I was impressed with the clever product name.  We brought a box home from the market, sampled a few crackers au naturel, and loved the crunch and complex flavors of brown rice, quinoa, flax seed and sesame seed.  The slightly irregular sizes and shapes of the crackers gave them a rustic, homemade look.   They are super crisp and hold their own with toppings, making them a great choice for appetizer buffets.

Mary’s story is compelling.  She was a psychotherapist, dedicated to helping people improve their lives.  At the age of 43, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder marked by an inability to digest gluten found in wheat, rye, barley, and some oats.  Mary began baking her own gluten-free crackers to have something to eat while friends and family enjoyed bread products.  As so often happens in an food artisan’s world, she began sharing her crackers with friends and soon found herself bringing crackers to practically every gathering of friends and family.  Mary estimates that before she officially began manufacturing crackers, she made over 30,000 crackers by hand!

In 1999, Mary and her husband decided to “go crackers”, and enter into full-time cracker manufacturing.  They didn’t jump into the business without careful planning; in fact, it was five years later when they both gave up their careers to pursue their dream.  They began by contracting with a manufacturing facility, but decided that they wanted more control over the product and process.  Today, Mary’s crackers are manufactured in their own gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free facility.

Mary’s passion for helping people lead better lives took a very different path from her role as a psychotherapist, but her website states that her motivation remains the same – to heal people.  Gluten-free diets have been front-page news for some time, but Mary’s Gone Crackers offers delicious options for anyone’s diet.  Not only do they have several cracker flavors, they also make gluten-free cookies and pretzels.  Find a location near you and try some soon!