Canadian Business Produces Cheezies
Aged Cheddar Cheese Snack Made in Belleville, Ontario
Oct 2, 2009
The company that produces the treat, W. T. Hawkins Limited, has the right to the name Cheezies®.
Cheezies® Producers in Tweed, Ontario
W. T. Hawkins and Jim Marker worked for years in the Chicago confectionery industry after World War II. Over time, they recognized the potential of a cornmeal product developed by Marker, and decided to begin production.
They selected the Village of Tweed in central-eastern Ontario, Canada for their enterprise. The location was convenient for access to the railway lines between Toronto and Montreal.
Believing in the potential for success with a uniquely-shaped snack food containing real aged cheddar cheese, W. T. Hawkins founded the company. Jim Marker set up the equipment for the operation.
Snack Foods Production with All-Natural Ingredients
Through trial and error, the manufacturing technique and product were perfected and ready for market. Most importantly, the men wanted a snack food “synonymous with wholesome goodness.” Cheezies are made of all-natural ingredients with no preservatives.
As it is extruded, cornmeal takes on a variety of finger-like shapes and sizes. The pieces are deep fried in vegetable shortening, and then continuously rotated through a cylindrical conveyor. With each rotation, they are coated with real aged cheddar cheese. In appreciation of the snack food, customers comment on its crunchy, not soggy, texture and its coating of real cheese.
Company Relocation to City of Belleville, Ontario
Cheezies® were well received by the public. After almost a decade of growth in the business, the W. T. Hawkins factory was destroyed by fire in 1956. Relocation to the City of Belleville in the Quinte region of Central Ontario was quickly accomplished. The company shared a building (now owned by W. T. Hawkins Ltd.) with the Canadian Armed Forces. Within twenty-two days, production resumed.
Other snack food products have been made and sold by the company, but none has enjoyed the same success as the original. Although competing cheese products have appeared on the market, W. T. Hawkins Ltd. owns and has exclusive use of the trademark Cheezies®.
Family-Based Business
Another aspect of the family-based business is the loyalty of many of its employees. Some have worked there for forty years. After the death of W. T. Hawkins in 1961, his son W. W. Hawkins assumed control. Having been with the company since 1949, he directed its progress until his death in 1990. His son Kent is now President. Vice-President Jim Marker, the originator of Cheezies, continues to oversee quality control and production.
Shirley Woodcox has been with the company since it started up in Tweed. In charge of employee relations and purchasing, she is credited with resourcefulness that greatly influenced the company’s success. Through production improvements, the formula has been maintained and every Cheezie “is different, like snowflakes and people.”
Sold nationwide, the iconic Canadian snack food is frequently sent by family members and friends to expatriates.
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