As those of you reading these have known, it has been incumbent upon us to prevail in our insurance litigation to restart the RyKrisp brand on our own. This is due to the requirements of a proper relaunch — manufacturing setup, equipment, packaging, team, etc…These are things we lost back when we went out of production many years ago now. We have now reached the end of that road with an unfavorable legal outcome via a District Court and subsequent appeal. Let us explain in simple terms.
We were the plaintiffs here and prevailed on the merits of our case, but it was an expensive battle because insurers are required to financially back defendants in litigation. RyKrisp claimed that awarded damages were insurable and should be paid. That is what the latest litigation was about. The court ruled that the defendant was in the wrong/acted intentionally and therefore not insurable. If you want the nitty gritty details, there is a very good summary written by Don Sampen in the Chicago Law Bulletin on May 7, 2024. He wrote in an article entitled “Court assesses facts necessary to decide insurer duty to defend”.
Where does this leave us? The reality is we will see if there is someone interested in developing the brand, and we’d be happy to support them. We don’t have the funds to restart the business. We’ll keep our eyes out, but it takes a special kind of baker to make RyKrisp crackers. That is why these crackers are unique. We’ll post you if something comes up.
Thanks as always for the support in this journey, even if the conclusion is a bummer.
I had no idea about any of this until today! Every trip to various grocery stores over the past years I never saw RyKrisp. I’ve taken a look to find RyKrisp and thought maybe they just aren’t in my area anymore. Life got in the way and I didn’t search as to why. The “substitutes” (from another company) just aren’t even close. After searching online today, hoping to find them, I came across your site.
I’m so very sorry to hear about the recent legal outcome. “Bummer” is right.
Those crackers were a staple in my childhood household and later on my kids loved them, too. A great-aunt introduced me to RyKrisp when I was very young. She came to love the crackers when introduced to them during being on the old school Weight Watchers plan.
They even were available at a couple of diner-type places when I was young and I always asked my salad have Seasoned RyKrisp on the side instead of saltines. Yum!
Once I read the story and “what” (not a “who”) took over and led to its demise, I wasn’t shocked.
There has to be a huge market for them! So many younger people have never had them and they’re missing out. Well, we ALL are missing out. Hopefully someone will find a way to make this product again. Any entrepreneurs out there willing to do it? Is Shark Tank still a thing? Thanks for all your efforts.
Thanks, Wendy. Would love to help a baker who wants to push it forward. We have the know how…will keep our eyes out. Agree that the market is aligned with the offer. Ted L
Nothing compares to Ry Krisp! I miss that unique crunch so much! Praying for a resolution!
Thanks for the kind words. Ted L
This is so sad! Thanks for fighting the good fight! I am so sorry that you did not prevail. Partly for myself (’cause I wanted more RyKrisp!) but mostly I’m sad that you worked so hard on this, only to lose because your opponent was unscrupulous. there’s something wrong with a legal system that allows this.
You are so nice with your words…how true it is. Doing it again, we’d certainly go another path from the beginning. All the best, Ted
I always loved RyKrisp crackers. They were perfect when I was dieting and permitted to eat only these types of crackers as my “bread”. Now that they aren’t available, I have to rely on other brands which do not have the wonderful flavor of RyKrisp and are greatly overpriced. I hope you are able to get back on track.
Thank you for your efforts. I really, really, really (did I tell you that I REALLY) miss RyeKrisp! They were part of my childhood growing up and were my mother’s favorite cracker. I was so upset when ConAgra(vation) decided to stop making them.
I am sincere in my hopes and prayers that you will be able to find a solution to re-starting the brand as I REALLY MISS my seasoned RyeKrisp.
Thank you for your efforts.
David – Thanks for your kind words. We’ve tried. Who knows. Maybe someone will come along with interest and the right equipment. We still have the knowhow. I personally spent hours/days/weeks learning how to make this unique cracker. All the best, Ted L
Hi. I’ve commented before — on a previous post — about possibly sharing the recipe with the fans as a means of bringing RyKrisp back into the public consciousness. You explained that it really wasn’t possible to make them in a home environment. But now, after this latest news on the case, I wanted to tell you about a local Mexican bakery in my community which may be interested in working with you. They’ve grown over the years and now ship nationwide with a wide variety of snack foods (mostly the best tortilla chips ever made). Their signature product was called Juanita’s for decades but very recently changed the product name to Juantonio’s.
Still based in our valley after all these years, that company is called Dominquez Family Enterprises, I don’t know about their policies with other snack products but they seem to me to be a possible “good fit” to work with you. Their website is https://www.juantoniossnacks.com/ and their phone is (541) 386-6311.
Hopefully, this can lead you forward to bringing back RyKrisp to the public. And, if successful, perhaps allowing a local home-grown company in my community to branch out into more products and be a stronger competitor with the larger companies nationwide.
Jason – Thanks. One of the keys to an opportunity would be to use similar technology in production. Ours is based on a long oven and a steel band. From what I can tell from the website, tortilla chips are the main product and they come mainly from a frying operation (yes, both have dough makeup). I’ve passed on to a colleague who is the guy who follows up on partnership leads to get his thoughts. Thanks for sending in and writing on this. Ted L
Ted,
Is there any similarity to the conveyor oven used by pizza companies like Domino’s? I live in an area with lots of foodies and several defunct pizza places…
Sarah – Thanks for the comment. RyKrisp would use a 100′ or so tunnel oven. I am presuming that the pizza companies to which you refer would make dough and toppings if they are putting them in boxes for later and they would be small ovens at retail. Never say never, but hadn’t really thought of that fit. Thx, Ted L
Any chance of releasing the recipe for us home bakers to make our own? Even if we don’t have the perfect equipment, we can try to get that flavor!
Amy, When you look at the box, you realize how few ingredients are in the product. It’s not the formula that makes the difference. It is the manufacturing process. Almost impossible to do at home as you end up with the “hardtack” vs. the light texture of RYKRISP. We’ve tried 🙂 Ted L
A lot was happening in my life about the time you stopped making my mainstay “cracker,” and I didn’t realize you’d gone out of business. I had stocked up on them. When they ran out, I kept looking, and even tried RyVita for a while. (No, thank you!) I recently tried Wasa, which was never my preference (it was my mother’s). I can’t tell you how sad it makes me to think “my” crackers almost made a comeback, and now might not. I literally had been eating them since the late 70’s. They were the BEST! (And I am relieved to know that the name RyKrisp – – that’s been bouncing around in my head – – was real. Others tried to convince me I just had the name wrong, that it had to have been RyVita.)
I hope you do find a baker or partner to work with. Nothing tastes, or crunches the same as RyKrisp. They were perfect! (In their size, and all their varieties, though I tended to eat the lowest calorie ones.)
Thanks for the story and apologies for the tale of woe. Not sure of the future, but we keep our knowledge, formulas and other things around as well as our eyes open for opportunities to bring RYKRISP back. Thanks so much for being a passionate fan.
Ry Krisp has long been my favorite snack food and bread stand-in. I have missed it and hope that you can get back on track, soon. Lived in the Minneapolis metro area for 30+ years and only realized that RyKrisp was a local product when the bakery was being shuttered.
Please bring it back. Seasoned RyKrisp is greatly missed by this guy. Other rye crackers/flatbreads are just not as good.
Mark – Thanks for the kind words. Any updates re potential progress will be here. Ted L
Perhaps Nabisco, run by Mondelez International could take you onboard. Sure miss your flavour.
Gary – They are the guys most likely to be able to produce the product in quantity. Not sure whether the Triscuit process is similar to RyKrisp…with some obvious differences, e.g., wheat vs. rye. Thanks for comment. Ted L
I bought a box of Triscuit crackers, thinking that they might be the great crisp crackers of my youth. No such luck. They’re more like very salty NaBisCo Shredded Wheat.
So I went to the Internet, searching for “thick, hard crackers with holes”. It took several tries, with a variety of modifications but at last I found what I was looking for: Ry-Krisp. I wasn’t even sure that the crackers I sought were made for human consumption. I thought that they might be something that I bought at the San Diego Zoo to feed the animals.
You can imagine my disappointment when I read that they are no longer being manufactured. Even if you just release the recipe so I can bake them at home, I’d be most appreciative.
Nice story. Yes, they are unique. Unfortunately, RYKRISP is not the type of product that can be home baked. You can’t get the lightness and texture, as it is a fairly unique manufacturing process. We’ve tried :-). All the best. Ted L
Please push ahead to find someone to produce RyKrisp again! Hopefully, an inspired marketing strategy would bring bake this beloved brand.
Thanks. We agree re the marketing opportunity, but the cost is in getting the manufacturing going. It is dedicated equipment and requires a fairly large investment. Thanks for the support. Ted L
I can’t believe it has been a decade since the shutdown! I still have one box with only two pouches left in it (best if used before June 14, 2014 🙂 )
I’ve been hanging on to them waiting for a comeback. The list of “think I love that they stopped making” just keeps getting longer 🙁
We all hope something can happen. I think about RyKrysp every time we have snacks.
Karl – I know it’s frustrating but it happens. In the same category, I was looking for Bremer wafers over Xmas and found they went out of business. We’ve tried but the confluence of events has worked against us. Best, Ted L
Oh wow! Was just sending my partner to get some and upon Google search discovered this travesty! My gramma was an avid fan! I will be following this string and please let me know what I can do! I will tell my brother-in-law – he is in food production in California but was a chef in Illinois. Maybe we will have a rebirth?! All my best this holiday season!
Rachel – Thx for the kind words. These things happen. We try our best to keep things going, but it has been a challenging journey. Ted L
I am so surprised by this! I adore Rye Crisp crackers. As noted by others, they were a staple in my childhood. I went on a search lately in the stores to try and find some – big craving that won’t go away! I have tried other rye crackers but they do not hold a candle to rye crisps. I really hope you find a baker interested in restarting the bran. I miss them!
It’s been a long time now since we’ve been on the market, and the updates give you a chronology of how we ended up here. Thanks for the words of support. Ted L