Mary's Gone Crackers - Gluten Free Organic
Starting a business is never easy. There is the financing, marketing, legal fees, research and operations. Add to it the risk of breaking into a new sector and you've got yourself an ambitious leader. In the "Meet The Healthy Food Entrepreneurs" series, we will meet some of the pioneers in the industry to learn what got them where they are today.
Meet Mary Waldner, the entrepreneur behind Mary's Gone Crackers. Mary's Gone Crackers are gluten free, organic, delicious crispy snacks.
Tell us a bit about your background, how did you get involved in the healthy foods market?
MW: I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in 1994 (as was my son) and began baking alternative products at home. I have been eating organically for probably as long as organic has existed and was not interested in most of the gluten free products that were on the market back then (it’s gotten a little better) so my experimenting went in the direction of healthier whole grains and healthier fats.
How did you come up with the concept of your product?
MW: I had the idea for the dough using whole grain brown rice and quinoa but I wasn’t sure about the form. I wanted a healthy, transportable gluten-free snack for myself. After playing with it for many months, the cracker turned out to be the best form for that dough and I really liked them, so that’s what I started making. I made them by hand for many years, bringing them with me to parties and restaurants so I would have something to eat. I watched others eat them—from little children, to teens and adults—and there were very few people who didn’t go wild for them.
So many people have "good ideas", how did you decide to actually go for it?!
MW: My friends had been encouraging me to write a cook book since I had developed so many great gluten free recipes, but I knew that even if I gave everyone the recipe, no one would bother to make the crackers because they were very labor intensive. I woke up on New Year’s Day 1999 and said to my husband (who is the CEO and President of Mary’s Gone Crackers!) that I thought we needed to manufacture the crackers. He said “OK” and that started a five year process of learning about the food industry, learning about manufacturing our unique product, writing a business plan, raising money and incorporating into our company.
How did you go from food concept to the mass market? What were your first few steps?
MW: First, I needed to learn how to translate a handmade product into a more automated production. That meant spending time making big bowls of my dough and taking them to various bakery equipment warehouses to see what machines would process it. Dale’s beginning steps were more around calculating the costs and writing a business plan. There were lots of conversations with everyone we knew who knew anything about either the food industry, raising money or equipment. We followed every lead.
How have you seen the healthy foods market change?
MW: There has been a huge consciousness shift about eating more healthily and eating gluten free in our society. It’s been amazing to watch because it’s been something I have longed for and I am shocked to see it happening—it seems like it happened very suddenly, although that’s probably not the case. It just has hit a tipping point that has made being more conscious about our food an important issue. Of course, there is still a very long way to go. The junk food is just being packaged differently and the illusion of health is what lots of manufacturers are striving for, vs. products that are truly healthful and nourishing.
Who are your customers?
MW: We thought our customers would be the people who need to eat gluten-free, dairy free, nut free, sugar free, but we have obviously transcended those markets. They are the people who are wanting healthy and tasty snacks, the people who want to feed their children healthy and tasty snacks, people who want gourmet, crunchy crackers…we are sold in Whole Foods, Kroger, Canyon Ranch, most independent health food stores and co-ops, more and more mainstream grocery stores (either in their “natural” section or their gluten-free section.) My goal was to have our crackers be a staple in everyone’s kitchen and we are getting there!
Where do you source your ingredients?
MW: Our brown rice comes from our neighborhood here in Northern California. Quinoa and amaranth come from South America, usually Ecuador or Bolivia. Flax is primarily from North Dakota, sometimes Canada. Sesame is also from South America, usually Bolivia, Peru or Mexico. Our millet is from Colorado; our chia is grown in Mexico. The majority of our ingredients come directly from the growers now that we are larger. It’s great because we are establishing personal relationships with our farmers and it’s very heartening for me. We had the privilege of going to Ecuador last year and meeting the indigenous people who are growing the quinoa at 13,000 feet in these stunningly beautiful regions of the world.
What's the most useful business advice anyone gave you?
MW: “Don’t dilly-dally”—meaning we had something good and we needed to move on it. I think the other advice we got (actually from the same person) was don’t do this—it’s harder and costs more than you can ever imagine, and most companies fail. It helped us be clear that we knew we had to go for it.
What's been your biggest challenge in opening or running your business?
MW: I think generally I would say that the most important thing we have done is stay true to our vision, which is challenged CONSTANTLY by investors, the industry, people who are supposedly trying to help us. I can’t tell you how many times we were told that what we wanted to do couldn’t be done. It still happens, but we are much more immune to it now, which helps.
What are 3 tips for running a successful company?
MW: Hold true to your vision. Make sure you have LOTS of support—don’t ever think you can do this alone. Get the best people on board. Don’t pinch pennies—it costs money to build something. Dream BIG—be sure to envision your company being successful and big—if you can’t envision it, it won’t happen. Be willing to learn, change, grow, work hard and be successful!
Special thanks to Mary Waldner for the interview.
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