Natural Grocery

Independently owned, organic grocery store. Our Annex serves prepared foods and offers a selection of wine and beer. Our florists are here to help you with fresh local cuts and dried bouquets.

EL CERRITO STORE
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
Every Day Hours
PREPARED FOOD ANNEX
10387 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
Every Day Hours
BERKELEY STORE
1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
Every Day Hours
Download Sales Flyer
Email Us
Join Our Mailing List
  • Our Stores
    • Our Stores
    • Sales Flyer
    • Departments
    • Calendar
    • Produce Notes
  • Annex
    • Annex
    • Sales Flyer
    • Menus and Departments
    • Calendar
    • Wine & Beer Notes
  • Who We Are
    • Who We Are
    • Resources
    • Eat Well
  • What’s New
    • What’s New
    • Sales Flyer
    • Calendar
  • Order
    • Order Annex Easter 2025 Menu
    • Gift Certificates
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Join Our Team
    • Hours & Holidays
    • Maps & Directions
    • Gift Certificates
Home / Archives for Handmade

Cult Crackers – Our Newest, Local Food Crush

August 10, 2017 by WineAndBeer

Small batch, handmade, organic crackers made in Berkeley?

Yes please!

That’s exactly what Cory (long time employee of Berkeley Natural Grocery) said to Birgitta when she told him about her made-from-scratch crackers crafted from a Swedish friend’s recipe.

Birgitta is a long time (30 + years) shopper at our Berkeley store. For years, she bought the same superfood ingredients from our bulk bins. After chatting and recipe sharing with staff, she brought the team at Berkeley Natural (BNG) samples of her crackers. They were hooked. Birgitta and her partner Dianna credit Cory and the BNG team with inspiring them to start their small business.

The recipe originated with Birgitta’s friend in Sweden whose daughter is a very picky eater. When she finally discovered a winning combination that even her daughter appreciated, she shared it with Birgitta. While Birgitta and Dianna have altered the recipe a bit (most dramatically dropping the olive oil in favor of coconut oil), the Swedish roots are strong.

The flower on the label is a traditional Swedish decoration. Their label and logo designer lives on an island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. The heritage (and inspiration) for these crackers points back to the majestic northern lands of the Baltic.

Cracker culture in Sweden is endless, with entire aisles dedicated to the craft. Everybody buys and bakes crackers. People commonly eat crackers with every meal whether paired with pickled herring, caviar, cheese, smoked meat, gravlax or soup.

The key to Birgitta’s leap into full time cracker production happened while selling Swedish ovenware. She was going to product shows and would bring her crackers along for snacks and meals. Everybody wanted the crackers more than the ovenware. With that nudge and the continued encouragement from Cory and the Berkeley Natural Team, Birgitta teamed up with Dianna (who has a culinary degree) to forge what is now Cult Crackers.

Together, they met the folks at Muffin Revolution and subleased kitchen space from them. That afforded them the chance (in a certified gluten-free kitchen) to produce more volume and become a registered business. When Muffin Revolution outgrew the space, they offered the lease to Cult Crackers. While it was a big jump, they accepted. And thank goodness they did!

These two ladies started their official Cult Cracker journey in June. Berkeley Natural Grocery was store number one, and now they are in ten stores throughout the Bay Area!

The crackers are delightful. At their kitchen, we snacked on them with Mitica Drunken Goat cheese and Crofters Jam. With a box to take home, I shared the crackers with my five year old son (and felt great about it!). He loved them with butter and salami.

We are so excited to carry their crackers at both stores so that you can try them sometime soon!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Eating Well, Local Producers, Non-GMO, Organic foods, Stores_both, Superfoods, Sustainability, Wonder Foods Tagged With: Berkeley, Handmade, Local, Organic, Small Batch

Subscribe Here!

* indicates required
Email Format

ALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

OPEN EVERY DAY
El Cerrito: 8:30am to 8:30pm, seven days a week
Berkeley: 8:30am to 8:30pm, seven days a week
Annex : 7:30am to 8:30pm
Wine opens at 9am
EL CERRITO STORE
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-1155
Seven days a week 8:30am-8:30pm
EL CERRITO ANNEX
10367 San Pablo Ave.
(510) 526-5150
Every Day 7:30am-8:30pm
Wine: 9am-8:30pm
BERKELEY STORE
1336 Gilman St.
(510) 526-2456
Seven days a week 8:30am-8:30pm

Our Stores

  • Our Stores
  • Sales Flyer – Stores
  • Calendar

Annex

  • Annex
  • Sales Flyer – Annex
  • Calendar

Who We Are

  • Who We Are

What’s New?

  • What’s New
  • Sales Flyer
  • Calendar

Eat Well

  • Eat Well
  • Resources

Contact

  • Contact
  • Maps & Directions
  • Join Our Team

Copyright © 2025 · NaturalGrocery Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in