Holland Che-Cri Cheese Crispies...The Other Part of Your Cocktail

{HISTORY}

Debuting in Holland in the late 1940s,  Holland Che-Cri Cheese Crispies, also known as ROKA Cheese Crispies, was an instant hit with the international cracker crowd. Made of just four ingredients (Gouda cheese, shortening, flour, and salt), they were akin to cheese straws with a light and airy composition and just the right amount of cheesy flavor and crisp texture. Perfectly balanced for a light snack along with a pre-dinner cocktail, these crisps were the creation of Jo Roodenrijs in 1949 and quickly found their place in the global market aboard KLM Airlines and Holland America cruise ships.

Popular in England, Wales, Australia, Canada, and the U.S., the crispies (as far as we have gathered) were packaged in tins labeled ROKA Cheese Crispies for the international market and in tins labeled Holland Che-Cri for the American market. It was the same crispy, the same recipe, and the same blue and yellow tin, just labeled a little bit differently depending on the destination.

Available at gourmet and specialty shops, they were a hard-to-keep-in-stock item for many a shopowner and were always promoted as a cocktail companion no matter what the decade or the destination. 

Now known as ROKA Cheese Crispies throughout the world, they are still delighting cocktailers today. Only available in bags as opposed to tins these days, they still retain their classic original recipe along with an expanded selection of flavored cheese crispies, straws, and puffs.  

This vintage Roka tin dates to the 1960s-1970s era and features a lovely Dutch scene complete with windmills, cows, and a golden yellow sky on the removable lid. Each side of the tin also features something visually interesting, with an image of Old Bridge on one end, a whimsical line drawing of a chef on the other (the original Roka logo), and photographs of the crispies themselves on the other two sides.  

So fun for cocktail cart storage, pantry organization, or unique gift wrap, it's fun to collect different decades of Cheese Crispies tins because they vary slightly. This is our second Crispies tin in the shop, so we photographed the two together to highlight the slight variations. If you look closely, you'll see differences in the Delft chef logo, the box size, the name, and the placement of the manufacturing and ingredient details. 

Please note, this listing is for one tin marked Holland Che-Cri. Find the other vintage Roka tin in the shop here. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Removable lid
• Unique graphics
• Colors include deep yellow, navy blue, milk chocolate, emerald green and white
• 7.5 oz size

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this tin contains just the right amount of aged patina to give it charm and character. There are a few very light scratches that reveal the silver underneath on the lid and the body. One exterior corner of the lid has a rust spot about the size of a popcorn kernel.  The lid fits snugly and securely on the base while still being easy to remove. The interior is clean and shiny and bears the typical darkened spots of authentically aged tins. Please see photos.  

{SIZE} 

Measures 6.25" inches (length) x 4" inches (width) x 2.5" inches (height) and weighs 6 oz.