WINSLOW, ME — Maine Crisp, an artisanal snack company, launched its new crisp flavor, Olive & Za’atar, at the 2023 Summer Fancy Food Show. The gluten-free and plant-based cracker strives to balance consumers’ desire for taste with their dietary restrictions through buckwheat.
Olive & Za’atar is the company’s fifth crisp flavor, with the last launch consisting of the plant-based Savory Fig and Thyme crisp in 2021. As the popularity of Maine Crisp’s gluten-free and dairy-free products increase, Karen Getz, founder and chief product officer of the brand, wanted to explore new dairy-free flavors.
“Since we had already adapted our crisp recipe to be dairy-free, I had the freedom to be really creative with a new flavor profile,” Getz said. “I love pairing cheese with olives, which sparked an idea to create a crisp that complements salty and savory notes with the bright herbs of za’atar. The nutty buckwheat base is rounded out with sesame and almonds for a rich-tasting experience.”
The Olive & Za’atar flavor, which includes kalamata olives and almonds, also blends balsamic vinegar and organic honey for a richer flavor.
This flavor is also the first to be launched in Maine Crisp’s new manufacturing facility, which the brand moved into in September 2022.
“Consumers within the better-for-you profile crave nutritious, delicious and sustainable snacks in flavors that are unique and interesting, and our retailers want product innovation to keep shoppers engaged and excited — Olive & Za’atar fits the bill perfectly,” said Lewis Goldstein, CEO of Maine Crisp. “This crisp is only the beginning of the innovation that we will launch out of our new Winslow, ME, facility. This facility is the only one of its kind in the United States that produces gluten-free crisps, gives us the capability to test flavors and formats of crisps and other exciting buckwheat snacks, and then bring them to market faster than our competitors.”
Olive & Za’atar Crisps are available in 4-oz. boxes at Whole Foods Markets in the North Atlantic Region and on the brand’s website.
