![]() ![]() ![]() Started by a Swedish baker in 1899, RyKrisp crackers were produced in a St. "No one loves a fat girl," one RyKrisp ad read in the 1940s. The crackers reached their peak of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, helped at the time by ad campaigns and slogans that are embarrassments today. RyKrisp crackers, about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, were only 25 calories and provided a sturdy base for cheeses, butters and jellies. But he said, "I think the real way to do this is by getting to a proper conclusion with this particular saga."Ĭrispbreads are cheap and filling and don't spoil, which made them perfect for hauling on a long journey in the 19th century. They considered seeking out other investors. "When our equipment was taken, we didn't have a manufacturer and, you know, we're a small, small company and we needed enough money to restart," Leavitt said. And the RyKrisp owners need funds to get production going again. There have been efforts to settle, but a new round of lawsuits has started with the baker's insurance company. That was more than the commercial baker could afford. Leavitt's group ultimately decided to turn to a second baking company to make the crackers.īut the first one would not turn over the equipment that had been moved from Minneapolis unless it was paid $50,000 more than the two sides had initially agreed.Ī court fight followed and, in 2019, an Illinois jury awarded the new RyKrisp owners an $8 million judgment. The dispute between RyKrisp's new owners and the commercial baking company started before production ever resumed. You know you'd love to be able to satisfy the consumers out there," Leavitt said. Instead, they contracted with a commercial baker in the Chicago area and moved the equipment there. But they decided not to rehire the staff and resume production. They also bought the equipment, which was in a factory in southeast Minneapolis that had been producing varieties of RyKrisp crackers since 1926. The trio in 2015 bought the RyKrisp trademark shortly after ConAgra decided to stop making the crackers, which were based on the crispbread carried to the Midwest by Scandinavian immigrants in the 19th century. "We went in with our eyes open," Leavitt said. Some of us learn it when we try to maintain our homes or cars, or raise a child.įor Ted Leavitt and two other former Pillsbury executives, it's the lesson from their attempt to resurrect a longtime staple of the Minnesota food scene - RyKrisp crackers. It's the lesson every entrepreneur learns.Īnd even if we don't own a business, it's a lesson many of us learn in the work we do. You always need more money than you think you will. ![]()
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