The story of the Boulder-based snack company Skinny Crisps reads a little like the plot of a feel-good TV series. Two women living next door in the same townhome complex become besties and launch a company out of a garage that develops into a thriving, nationally adored business. But this heartwarming tale isn’t fiction. The snacks—which contain approximately one net carb per piece—are completely real, not to mention delicious. We spoke with founder Myrna Mirow and her business partner Cheryl Katten about their process, products, and the secret formula that makes Skinny Crisps so tasty.
How it began
Mirow, a lifelong cook, invented the original recipe for Skinny Crisps more than a decade ago while trying to cut carbs out of her diet. The first few batches weren’t completely gluten-free, though. It wasn’t until she met Katten, recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, that the duo decided to cut gluten out of the recipe altogether. Taste testers raved about the snacks and from there, Mirow says, “I reached out to Celiac support groups around the country to send them samples. That’s how we landed our first real orders.” Before long, they moved out of the garage and into a 3,500-square-foot, FDA-approved bakery less than two miles from their homes in Boulder. There they began distributing their product to stores like Safeway, King Soopers, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, and Whole Foods.
Healthy and tasty
How can the crackers be so flavorful and yet so healthy? “That’s just my expertise!” Katten says. The crackers are all made with the same base ingredients: almond meal, chickpea flour, psyllium, sea salt, evaporated cane juice, flax seeds, locally sourced sunflower oil, and other natural ingredients. This combination keeps them low on the glycemic index and high in fiber.
The extra mile
“We go out of our way to adhere to the strictest quality control guidelines the whole way through the process,” says Katten. All aspects of production are certified gluten-free, non-GMO, and kosher. The product is also 100 percent plant-based and zero-waste; every byproduct from Skinny Crisps’ production is either recyclable or compostable.
On the horizon
Recently, in addition to expanding into Utah, Arizona, California, and Nevada, the company has also made some exciting product advances. “Instead of coming up with new flavors, we’re coming up with smaller packages,” Katten says. “We chose our top flavors—Cinnamon, Whole Shebang, Brownie, and Chocolate Mint—and put them in one-ounce packages for smaller portions.”
Skinny Crisps
2669 Juniper Ave., Boulder
