Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 23
OPERATIONS
Mary's Gone Crackers
Mary's Gone Crackers doubled capacity, improved delivery numbers
and is working to position the company as a category leader.
by Michelle Smith
W
When Michael Finete arrived at Mary's Gone Crackers
in July 2023 as the new chief executive officer, he knew
the business needed some work, but he also recognized
that the brand and its values of making clean label, gluten-free
organic crackers and cookies were solid.
" One thing that's always been very important to me
is potential and opportunity for growth, " he said. " There
were a number of things we wanted to focus on. Some
things we've already completed; other things are ongoing.
I'm really happy about our strategies in terms of
growing the topline, fixing and optimizing our operation
and taking a look at our products. "
In less than a year, the 425,000-square-foot glutenfree
plant in Reno, Nev., doubled capacity, improved
on-time in-full (OTIF) delivery from about 80% to 99%,
and took several steps to make the company a leader in
the gluten-free organic cracker and cookie categories.
" When I saw this company, it was not very proactive, "
Finete explained. " It had a lot of things to fix and improve,
but at the heart of the company, the brand, the
products, the consumers' image and perception about
what the brand means were very deep and authentic. All
that connected to who I am, with sustainability and authenticity
being very important to me personally. "
The company takes pride in supporting regenerative
agriculture, sourcing from family farms and producing
healthy, high-quality products. Moreover, it's raising the
profile of the brand through improved marketing, expanded
R&D efforts, and revamped branding and packaging.
And the team is just getting started.
Many changes needed
Mary's Gone Crackers started in 2004, but its origins
reach back to the 1990s when founder Mary Waldner,
who lived in the San Francisco area, discovered she had
celiac disease. She struggled to find tasty gluten-free
foods, so she decided to make her own.
" There weren't many good options for gluten-free
products, gluten-free crackers especially, " Finete said.
" Her development evolved from her own kitchen for her
personal consumption to friends who were interested,
then small stores, then it grew from there in a grassroots
way. "
Waldner and her husband started a small operation
that continued to grow. The company was acquired
in 2013 by Kameda Seika Co., a rice cracker manufacturer
in Japan. Seven years ago, the company operations
moved from Gridley, Calif., into a new plant in Reno,
where it currently resides. All Mary's Gone Crackers
products are made there, and it's one of the largest gluten-free
facilities in the world, according to the company.
When Finete arrived, he found a challenge, but it's
one that he welcomed.
" I'm somebody who's very focused on fixing things,
improving things, " he said. " And I have a need to improve
and grow and to look back and see certain accomplishments.
I call that going from the bottom left-hand
corner to the upper right-hand corner. That's what gives
me satisfaction. "
One of the first things that needed attention was operations,
which was suffering from too much unplanned
downtime and wasted product. Nate Lindsay, vice president
of operations, arrived at the plant just two weeks
before Finete.
" When I got here, the equipment was in some dire
straits, " Lindsay said. " In the beginning, a lot of the
things you normally do in operations as far as production
was lacking. From the PMs (preventative maintenance)
to accountability and a lot of bottlenecks. My
first step was I spent a lot of time on the floor. "
www.bakingbusiness.com / October 2024 Baking & Snack 23
Mary's Gone
Crackers in Reno,
Nev., is one of the
largest gluten-free
plants in the world,
according to the
company.
Photography by Dave Siegel
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - October 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - October 2024
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - Intro
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 1
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 2
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 3
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 4
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 5
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 6
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 7
Baking & Snack - October 2024 - 8
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-october-2024
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-september-2024
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-july-2024
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-december-2023
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-september-2023
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-july-2023
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-june-2023
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/baking-snack-april-2023
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https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/2004_03_01
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/2004_02_01
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/2003_12_01
https://digitalbs.bakingbusiness.com/sosland/bs/2003_11_01
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com