This area city is celebrating today as Cheez-It Day

The proclamation reads, “The City of Dayton is pleased to recognize the contributions of the Green & Green Baking Company, founded in Dayton in 1897.”

The proclamation goes on to read, “The City of Dayton and its residents take great pride in being a city of innovation, and are thankful for the contributions made by the Green & Green Company, and for the lasting impact the Cheez-It brand snack cracker has had on the world.”

WHIO Radio host Todd Hollst with the Evening Edge was the driving force in having the invention of the Cheez-It recognized.

Dayton History is working with Hollst and the Ohio Historical Society to put up a historic marker close to where the Green & Green Company was located, said Brady Kress, president and CEO of Dayton History. The company was located at the corners of Cincinnati and Concord streets.

Carillon Historical Park, located at 1000 Carillon Blvd., has an exhibit in the manufacturing and entrepreneurship center that highlights the Green & Green Company and has one of the original Cheez-It cans. The Green & Green Company made Edgemont crackers, Dayton crackers, Flag crackers and other snacks.

“When you think back to the beginning of the 20th century probably every decent size town in the country had bakeries making crackers and baked goods,” Kress said.

To have a product as unique as the Cheez-It survive, grow and flourish is a noteworthy accomplishment, Kress added.

Through the decades, the Green & Green Cheez-It brand changed hands numerous times until it was purchased by The Kellogg Company in 2001.

Ever since the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Cheez-It, Kress believes more people have become aware of the cheese-flavored cracker being developed in Dayton.