Snacks - Funny Parenting Stories for Fathers (and Mothers)

Craize Snack Crackers to Appear at ’26 Sweets & Snacks Expo

raize chips are made with clean, simple ingredients and all-natural fruits, veggies, and spices blended right into the arepa corn dough, proving that better-for-you snacking never has to compromise on flavor. All flavors are seed oil–free, vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher.

Craize, the bold chip-cracker hybrid redefining better-for-you snacking, will make its official debut at the Sweets & Snacks Expo, taking place May 19–21, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

More than just a cracker, Craize is crafted using a proprietary fire-griddled process that delivers exceptional taste, crunch, and versatility—without frying or added oils. Craize chips are made with clean, simple ingredients and all-natural fruits, veggies, and spices blended right into the arepa corn dough, proving that better-for-you snacking never has to compromise on flavor. All flavors are seed oil–free, vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher.

Adding to its growing recognition, the Craize Everything flavor was recently honored with the sofi Gold Award as Best Cracker of 2026 at the January Winter Fancy Food Show.

Michele Abo, General Manager of Kayco Beyond, exclusive distributor of Craize, says, “Craize is a truly differentiated snack that delivers on taste, craftsmanship, and modern wellness. Designed to meet consumers’ growing demands for healthy snacks, Craize stands out in a crowded category with its distinctive crunch, innovative production process, and crave-worthy flavor profiles.”

What Makes Craize Different

Chip-Cracker Hybrid – The satisfying crunch of a chip meets the versatile, toppable nature of a cracker
Fire-Griddled, Never Fried – A proprietary slow-griddling process locks in flavor and crispness without added oils
Versatile Enjoyment – Perfect for dips, toppings, charcuterie boards, or straight from the bag
Real Ingredients Baked In – Fruits, vegetables, and spices are blended directly into the dough—not just sprinkled on top
Wholesome & Allergen-Friendly – Vegan, non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free, seed oil–free, and produced in an allergen-friendly facility

Five Signature Flavors

Everything – Sesame and poppy seeds blended with garlic and onion for a savory, bagel-inspired bite
Sweet Corn – Lightly sweetened with dark brown sugar; pairs well with jams, nut butters, or guacamole
Guava – Fruity and refreshing, made with authentic guava puree
Coconut – Infused with dried coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon for a subtly sweet tropical twist
Jalapeño Lime – Zesty heat balanced with bright cilantro and lime

About Kayco

Kayco is a leading supplier of kosher foods. Its Beyond division sources and distributes innovative products that meet the growing demand for healthful, convenient, and lifestyle-focused food options. Headquartered in Bayonne, NJ, Kayco’s Beyond Division portfolio includes Dorot Gardens, Craize, Wonder Juice, Mighty Sesame Co., Absolutely! Gluten Free Crackers and Flatbreads, and Beetology Refrigerated Beets.

Craize will be at booth #4572. Learn more at @GoCraize on Instagram and Facebook.

Craize Toasted Corn Snacks Everything Flavor Named a 2026 sofi Gold Award Winner

Craize announces that its Toasted Corn Snacks Everything Flavor has been named a 2026 sofi Gold Award winner by the Specialty Food Association (SFA), recognizing it as a standout within the specialty food and beverage industry this year.

Everything Flavor from Craize Toasted Corn Chips

FancyFaire Trade Show

The sofi Award winners were revealed live in San Diego at SFA’s Winter FancyFaire trade show during a ceremony hosted by celebrity chef Joe Sasto. The ceremony brought together makers, buyers, press, and industry leaders to celebrate the innovation shaping the future of specialty food. In a crowded cracker market, CraizeToasted Corn Snacks Everything Flavor was named a Gold Award winner at the 2026 sofi Awards in the Crackers & Crispbreads category.

“Winning a sofi Award is especially meaningful because it’s positive feedback coming directly from the buyers shaping what’s next in specialty food,” said Michele Abo, General Manager of Kayco Beyond, who recently added Craize to their portfolio of brands. “The award is an extraordinary validation of what we’ve built with Craize, a truly differentiated snack that delivers on taste, craftsmanship, and modern wellness expectations. This recognition accelerates our mission to introduce more consumers and retailers to a snack that’s vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and allergen-friendly — without ever sacrificing crunch, flavor, or versatility.”

Craize is more than just a cracker; it’s a modern, healthy snack that delivers incredible taste and versatility. “We are thrilled to see our Everything Flavor recognized as a sofi Gold Award winner. We know this great accolade will resonate with retailers and consumers as to how outstanding this vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and allergen-friendly product is, yet never compromises on flavor or crunch,” adds Abo.

Spanning 25 Gold Award categories and five Grand Honors distinctions, the sofi Awards recognize products that stand out for innovation, exceptional taste, and high-quality ingredients—and signal what’s next for specialty food. Chosen through blind tastings by a panel of leading retail and foodservice buyers, the 2026 sofi Award winners rose to the top from a pool of more than 1800 entries.

What Craize has, and what it has to Offer

Craize stands out with its clean label, great flavor, and crave-worthy crunch. Key highlights include:

Chip-cracker hybrid – The satisfying crunch of a chip meets the versatile, toppable nature of a cracker.
Fire-griddled, never fried –A proprietary slow-griddling process locks in flavor and crispness without added oils.
Versatile enjoyment – Perfect for dips, toppings, or enjoying on their own.
Real ingredients baked in – Fruits, veggies, and spices are mixed into the dough, not sprinkled on top.
Wholesome & allergen-friendly – Vegan, non-GMO, Kosher, gluten-free, seed and oil–free, and made in an allergen-friendly facility.

Craize five signature flavors offer both sweet and savory options:

Everything – Sesame and poppy seeds blended with garlic and onion for a savory, bagel-inspired bite.
Sweet Corn – Lightly sweetened with dark brown sugar, pairs perfectly with jams, nut butters, or guacamole.
Guava – Fruity and refreshing with authentic guava puree.
Coconut – Infused with dried coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon for a tropical twist.
Jalapeño Lime – Zesty with a kick of heat, balanced by cilantro and lime.

The sofi Awards are considered the top honor in the $219-billion specialty food industry. Past winners have included some of today’s most recognizable and successful brands, such as Ben & Jerry’s, Kettle Chips, Fage Yogurt, Stonewall Kitchen, and Vermont Creamery.
For more information on CraizeSnacks and CraizeCorn Snacks Everything Flavor, visit www.gocraize.com or follow @GoCraize on Instagram and Facebook.

Craize is part of the Kayco Beyond lineup, with expansion plans underway. Kayco Beyond offers a diverse range of unique, natural, and specialty items to over 14,000 retailers nationwide. The Beyond business unit is a division of Kayco, one of the largest makers and distributors of kosher and specialty foods in the United States.

Healthy Snacking Made Easy with Craize Snack Crackers

It’s not easy when it comes to children and snacking. Our little Miracles of Christ will almost certainly go to the chips and sweets. We all know the taste of a fruit or veggie can’t compare with potato chips or cookies. Luckily, Craize chips taste good.

People like to snack. It’s something that can get us through a project. Munching on something can seem mundane tasks seem almost bearable. Some people like to snack in between meals. Sometimes I like to have a snack on my way home from work.

The Miracles of Christ like to snack, as do their friends. Sometimes I’ll pack my lunch for work and something I was planning to take with me will disappear. This is normally a sweet to reward myself for being good. The fruits and vegetables are usually safe, and I don’t need to worry about those disappearing.

Sweet Snacks, or Salty?

There are times you feel like snacking on something sweet, there are times you feel like snacking on something salty. It can depend on the time of day, or maybe it’s something you haven’t had in a while. Whatever it is, it’s good to have something to enjoy between meals. The good people from Craize understand what that can be like, and they have made toasted snack crackers in a variety of flavors for your snacking pleasure. These flavors can be sweet, salty, even a little spicy. Whatever it is, Craize has something for you when it’s Snack Time.

The Miami-based snacking company took it’s inspiration from the arepa, a cornmeal cake with a crispy outside and a soft inside. Craize chips are crispy all the way through. They are thin, about the size of a standard potato chip.

Healthy Snacking isn’t Always Easy

My snacking usually consists of fruits and vegetables. I like apples, but I’ve been eating more peaches since we started growing them. The Boy will have friends over, and that’s when my sweet snacks will disappear. Sometimes I don’t notice that until I need to make my lunch. When I’m cooking dinner, I like to munch on a carrot. I’ll feed the ends of the carrot to the dog. She likes snacking too. When the family eats dinner, she’ll sit close by with a pathetic look on her face. The dog usually sits by the boy. We got her when The Boy was in the first grade, and he tended to have food fall from his plate to the floor. He doesn’t do that anymore, but some habits die hard, and the dog will sit patiently, hoping for a morsel to fall.

It’s not easy when it comes to children and snacking. Our little Miracles of Christ will almost certainly go to the chips and sweets, no matter how many fruits, vegetables, and granola bars we stock the refrigerator and pantry with. We try to steer them to the healthier stuff, but we all know the taste of a fruit or veggie can’t compare with potato chips or cookies. Luckily, Craize chips taste good, so that will make it easier when you want to see them snacking on something healthier than junk food.

Different Craize Flavors

As I mentioned before, there are plenty of different flavors of Craize chips to choose from. There are sweet flavors like coconut or guava. Salty, savory flavors like the “Everything” can satisfy your hunger when you don’t feel like something sweet. Craize’s Jalapeño Lime has more of a slightly spicy flavor with a hint of citrus to round it out. The company’s website touts their snack as something that can be topped, dipped or just enjoyed as they are. Remember, these can be used as a substitute for chips, so think about packing these as a healthy side to a sandwich the next time you need to pack a lunch.

There are plenty of snacks to choose from. People will get hungry, and people can’t always wait until the next meal to eat. For something that will satisfy your hunger and won’t make you feel guilty, try digging into the arepa-inspired Craize snack crackers. Your kids might like them, and you won’t have to try so hard to have them consider a healthier snacking option.

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Protecting your Treats from Nosy Children

You read stories of American colonists hiding stores of ammunition ahead of the British army coming to seize it. Pirates hid treasure. People would secretly make then hide booze. People did whatever it took to make sure someone else didn’t take what was theirs.

I’m seriously considering these practices in my house. As you know, I’m usually the one who does the grocery shopping. Sometimes I need to go to the wholesale store. This is necessary when you have five children, three of them are in athletics (if you count cheerleading).

I get this. I played sports. I rode a bike. You sweat. You need to hydrate. It happens. I understand this. What I don’t understand is why one of the Gaggle needs to pack four sports drinks in the morning. He needs to stay hydrated. Do the water fountains not work in the school?

The Boy is one of the children in sports. He needs to hydrate. That would be fine if he actually finished his hydration. He doesn’t and he’s not the only one. Wife and I are constantly finding half-full (or half-empty) bottles around the house. They belong to nobody, of course. All of the children are perfect and they finish and properly dispose of everything they consume.

Sometimes I see something I think Wife will really like when I’m shopping so I grab it. Something nice to give her while she overworks at her job. I make sure to give it to her while the little pillagers are at school. If they’re home, I’ll tuck it under something in a bag, then retrieve it and, with great stealth, slip it under some papers or behind a book so she can enjoy it without having it poached by one of the Miracles of Christ.

Wife has seen what’s going on as we find depleted supplies of tonic and juice and assorted treats. She has resorted to taking some of these rations and storing them in special hiding places so she can enjoy a little something when she feels like it instead of gobbling up something for the sake of getting something she’d like before the children conduct their raid and it’s gonna forever.

*These items are safe from daily raids.*

Interestingly enough, my store of fruits and vegetables hasn’t been pilfered 🤔. It’s a fascinating thing that occurs at my house, but I haven’t had the need to hide apples, oranges, peaches, plums, or carrots. It’s a phenomenal situation, but this is one of the reasons they’re called the Miracles of Christ.

The colonists hid guns in woodpiles, bullets in sacks and barrels. Bruce Wayne has secret passages at Wayne Manor. Heroes have ways to hide and store necessary supplies for when they need it. Wife has taken to these tactics before the locusts – I mean, children – descend upon the spoils of a shopping trip. If we’re lucky, they’re absorbed in a screen that provides some mind-numbing experience for them. This allows us to find a place to hide something being saved for a special occasion or something that’s planned for a meal. Either way, we have our system. It may not be as elaborate of a system used to warn of British coming into Boston Harbor, but it does allow me and wife to preserve our stores and hold off the grocery shopping for another hour.

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