An acclaimed Wisconsin manufacturer of artisan crackers has opened a satellite production facility in downtown Sacramento and is gearing up to make as many as 50 local varieties for the Northern California market.

The plant opened last month at the southwest corner of 12th and F streets and is the first expansion for Potter's Crackers of Madison, Wis.

Its recipe for success: Using organic and locally sourced ingredients to make crackers that pair up nicely with local cheeses, says Peter Weber, who founded the company five years ago after concluding that his home state had wonderful cheeses "but not a lot of great crackers that could hold up to those cheeses."

With his mother in charge of the Midwest business, Weber moved here two years ago to obtain an MBA at UC Davis – and then opted to stay in California to oversee his firm's first expansion.

Among the crackers being produced at the downtown Sacramento site: cranberry and pumpkin grahams ("absolutely delicious with goat cheese," Weber says), along with caramelized onion and olive crackers – all made with flour, dairy products and produce from the Sacramento Valley.

By the end of next year, Weber says he expects to have a staff of 15 people making up to 50 local cracker products – all coming in boxes that contain information on suggested cheese pairings.

The company is strictly a wholesale business, selling to regional and specialty grocers. The first local outlet to carry its products is Corti Brothers on Folsom Boulevard.

All about the beer

The founders of what's being called Sacramento's only true microbrewery are racing to get their business open by Dec. 31.

"Otherwise," jokes Ryan Graham, a partner in the venture, "we'll have to change all our stuff" – the company-branded T-shirts and glasses that say, "Track 7, established in 2011."

It looks like Graham and partner Geoff Scott will make the deadline.

Mechanical problems pushed the opening back a couple of months. But the two brewers now have all their equipment in place and last week started making their first batch – a stout that Graham describes as "sweeter than a Guinness with chocolate and toffee notes."

The partners expect to have five brews on hand for an official opening on New Year's Eve.

Making the place unusual: Beer will be made and served on site – in small taster cups, half-pints or pints. But, unlike the plentiful local brew pubs, there will be no food offerings.

One cool feature at the 2,000-square-foot site at 3747 W. Pacific Ave., just off Sutterville Road near the former Union Pacific railyard: A bar made from real rail tracks, 4-by-4s to simulate wood ties, actual tie plates and spikes.

Belated announcement

Some news is better late than never. We're just hearing that local venture capitalist Jack Crawford was selected – six months ago – to participate in a prestigious training and networking group for global VCs.

Crawford, who runs Folsom-based Velocity Venture Capital, says he held off on reporting the news about his selection to the Kauffman Fellows program until he could arrange a visit here by the group's CEO, Phil Wickham.

Wickham is a keynote speaker next week at a by-invitation-only forum here on the development of the Sacramento economy.

Crawford says he's honored to be one of 39 people selected for the fellows program, but is more excited about the opportunity it creates to alert investors to "the fast-growing tech ecosystem in California's capital region."

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

---

Call The Bee's Bob Shallit, (916) 321-1049.

• Read more articles by Bob Shallit