Sweet success
Uncrustables are no longer just lunch box staples for kids. The frozen crustless sandwiches are increasingly being packed into sports bags and even briefcases across the states, as adults increasingly rely on them for sustenance in the age of ultra-convenience.
JM Smucker, the company behind Uncrustables and other favorites like Folgers Coffee and Jif peanut butter, is working hard to keep up with demand. Sales for the snack rose 11% in the latest quarter, and the company is continually investing in its production facilities to keep churning out the 4 million needed each day to sate America’s growing appetite.
Uncrushable
The school lunch specials started life in 1995 as Incredible Uncrustables, after two friends decided to mass-produce their kids’ favorite sandwiches: PB&Js without the crusts. The pair managed to secure a controversial — and since-rescinded — patent on their “sealed crustless sandwiches”, going on to sell the brand to Smuckers for ~$1 million in 1999.
From ad-hoc media reports, we’ve pieced together the sales of Uncrustables, and it's a chart that wouldn’t look out of place from a hot tech start-up. With a widening range of crustless offerings, such as chocolate hazelnut spread and taco bites, JM Smucker shipped some $685 million of the snack in FY2023, and sales are expected to reach $800 million this fiscal year. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest.
