Lance Cream Cheese and Chives Sandwich Crackers

The story of Lance Snacks is one of North Carolina’s greatest business success stories.

How It All Began

In 1913, a Charlotte food broker named Philip L. Lance found himself stuck with 500 pounds of Virginia peanuts after a customer backed out of a purchase. Instead of returning the peanuts, he roasted them at home and sold them on the streets of Charlotte for five cents a bag. The peanuts sold quickly, and a new business was born.

The Birth of Peanut Butter Crackers

After the success of the peanuts, Lance expanded into peanut butter. Around 1915, family members began spreading Lance peanut butter between two crackers as samples for customers. The snack was so popular that it evolved into the famous peanut butter sandwich cracker, one of the first packaged snacks of its kind in America.

Growing Across the Carolinas

“nabs.” The term became so common in the Carolinas and Virginia that people often ask for “nabs” even when referring to Lance crackers specifically.