Manischewitz
Manischewitz is a long-established American kosher-food brand best known for matzo, kosher baked goods, and related Passover products.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Manischewitz is an American kosher-food brand founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1888 by Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz. It became especially influential through the mechanization of matzo production, helping transform matzo from a product made mainly in synagogue ovens or small specialist bakeries into a packaged food that could be produced at scale and distributed across the United States. The company’s square machine-made matzo reduced production costs and improved access for Jewish households, while also making Manischewitz one of the earliest American exporters of matzo. The company expanded beyond its original Passover staple as it developed products that could be sold throughout the year. In the 1930s it introduced Tam-Tam crackers, a small hexagonal cracker inspired by matzo but adapted for ordinary, non-Passover consumption. Its portfolio later included cookies, macaroons, pasta, soups, and other kosher pantry products. Through acquisitions and brand relationships, the broader R.A.B. Food Group portfolio also became associated with labels such as Goodman, Carmel, Elite, Mother's, Rokeach, Mrs. Adler's, and Tradition. Manischewitz acquired Horowitz-Margareten Matzo in 1984, and Goodman matzo and macaroons became part of its manufacturing and brand portfolio. Manischewitz became a public corporation in 1923 and was described during the 1920s as the largest matzo-baking firm in the world. The company established a second manufacturing site in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1932 to serve the New York metropolitan area. Its original Cincinnati operation eventually closed in 1958. In 1990, Kohlberg & Company led a management buyout valued at $42.5 million, taking the business private after a period of family control. Richard A. Bernstein acquired the company from KKR in 1998, and the corporate name was changed to R.A.B. Food Group in 2004, although Manischewitz remained the principal consumer-facing name. The brand has also been connected with kosher wine, but the food company and the wine business are distinct. Since 1986, the Manischewitz name has been licensed for wine production. The wine operation originated with the Star family’s winery in Canandaigua, New York, and later became associated with Canandaigua Wine Company and Constellation Brands. E. & J. Gallo Winery acquired the wine brand in 2021 and continues to license the Manischewitz name from R.A.B. Foods. The familiar sweet Concord wine is made from labrusca grapes and is widely sold in North America. Because ordinary bottlings may use corn syrup, the wine business produces separate cane-sugar versions for Passover observance. Manischewitz’s food operations opened a 200,000-square-foot plant and corporate headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, in 2011. That facility closed in 2017, with production transferred to another New Jersey location and 169 jobs eliminated. The company remains associated with large-scale matzo production and is described as the world’s largest matzo manufacturer and one of the leading kosher brands in the United States. Its market position combines religious certification, Jewish-American heritage, broad grocery distribution, and strong seasonal demand around Passover. The brand is also culturally recognizable beyond its core food products because of the wine advertising phrase “Man-O-Manischewitz, What a Wine!” and its fictional appearance as an advertising account in the television series Mad Men.
History
Manischewitz began in 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz founded the B. Manischewitz Company. Its central innovation was the mechanized manufacture of matzo. Before industrial production, matzo was commonly made in synagogue ovens and later in small bakeries using specialist equipment. Production was labor-intensive, and distribution was limited. Manischewitz developed machinery and production methods that cut and baked matzo into a standardized square form suitable for packaging and shipment. This approach lowered costs and helped make matzo more accessible to Jewish families across the United States. Mechanized matzo initially raised religious questions. Some rabbis argued that matzo intended for religious use needed to be made by a person rather than by a machine. Manischewitz addressed these objections by demonstrating that its manufacturing process could follow halakha, the body of Jewish religious law governing acceptable preparation. The company’s production model ultimately gained acceptance and became an important part of the modernization of kosher food manufacturing. The company went public in 1923. By the middle of the decade it was being described as the largest matzo-baking company in the world and as the first American exporter of matzo. To serve the growing Jewish population of the New York metropolitan area, Manischewitz opened a second plant on Bay Street in Jersey City in 1932. The Cincinnati plant eventually closed in 1958, leaving the New Jersey operation as an important manufacturing base. Manischewitz expanded its range in the 1930s with Tam-Tam crackers, which were designed to provide a year-round product related to the company’s matzo expertise. Although the modern cracker differs substantially from matzo, the product helped extend the company beyond the seasonal Passover market. Over time, the brand added cookies, macaroons, pasta, soups, and other kosher packaged foods. In 1984, it acquired Horowitz-Margareten Matzo and subsequently manufactured Goodman matzo and macaroons. The broader R.A.B. portfolio also incorporated or represented several other established kosher labels. The company’s ownership changed substantially at the end of the twentieth century. It was taken private in 1990 through a Kohlberg & Company-led management buyout valued at $42.5 million. The company was also fined $1 million in connection with a price-fixing case involving Streit's and Horowitz-Margareten. Richard A. Bernstein purchased the business from KKR in 1998. In 2004, the corporate entity adopted the name R.A.B. Food Group, while continuing to use Manischewitz as its leading consumer brand. From 2007 through 2014, ownership was associated with Harbinger Capital. On April 7, 2014, Sankaty Advisors, a Bain Capital affiliate, acquired the company from an investor group that included Harbinger. Manischewitz invested in a large Newark facility that opened in 2011 and served both manufacturing and corporate functions. The site was closed in 2017, and operations were shifted to another New Jersey location, resulting in 169 job losses. The brand continues to be identified with high-volume matzo manufacturing and remains one of the best-known kosher food names in the United States. The Manischewitz name also exists in wine, but the wine business is not owned and operated in the same way as the food business. R.A.B. Foods licensed the name for wine beginning in 1986. The winery traces its history to Leo Star and the Star family, who operated in Canandaigua, New York, beginning in 1927. The wine operation later became part of Canandaigua Wine Company and Constellation Brands, and E. & J. Gallo Winery acquired the brand in 2021. The wine is particularly associated with inexpensive, sweet Concord wine. Because the standard product may use corn syrup, the wine business makes distinct cane-sugar bottlings for Passover, when corn-derived ingredients are avoided by many Ashkenazi Jewish consumers.
- 2021
Gallo acquires Manischewitz wine brand
[1]E. & J. Gallo Winery acquires the separately operated wine brand and continues using the Manischewitz name under license.
- 2017
Newark plant closes
[1]Production moves to another New Jersey site, and 169 jobs are cut.
- 2014
Sankaty Advisors acquires the company
[1]Sankaty Advisors, an affiliate of Bain Capital, buys Manischewitz from an investor group that included Harbinger.
- 2011
Newark facility opens
[1]A 200,000-square-foot plant and headquarters opens in Newark, New Jersey.
- 2004
Corporate name changes to R.A.B. Food Group
[1]The operating company adopts the R.A.B. Food Group name while maintaining the Manischewitz consumer brand.
- 1998
Richard A. Bernstein acquires company
[1]Richard A. Bernstein purchases the company from KKR.
- 1991
Price-fixing fine imposed
[1]The company is fined $1 million in a case involving alleged coordination with two competing matzo manufacturers.
- 1990
Management buyout takes company private
[1]Kohlberg & Company leads a $42.5 million buyout, ending the company’s period as a public corporation.
- 1986
Manischewitz wine-name licensing begins
[1]The food company begins licensing the Manischewitz name to the separate wine business.
- 1984
Horowitz-Margareten Matzo acquired
[1]Manischewitz acquires Horowitz-Margareten Matzo and manufactures Goodman matzo and macaroons.
Products and positioning
A mass-market American kosher-food brand built around matzo, Passover staples, Jewish culinary tradition, and widely distributed pantry products. The Manischewitz food business emphasizes accessibility and scale, while the separately operated wine business uses the brand’s strong recognition in kosher and holiday consumption.
Passover staple · 1888
Manischewitz Matzo
The company’s foundational product and principal source of brand recognition. Manischewitz industrialized the production of standardized square matzo, using machinery and tightly controlled timing to produce a packaged product at scale. Its matzo is associated with Passover and remains central to the company’s identity as a major kosher-food manufacturer.
Crackers · 1930
Tam-Tam Crackers
A year-round cracker line introduced in the 1930s to extend the company’s business beyond seasonal matzo sales. The product was inspired by the company’s matzo expertise but is distinct from traditional matzo in its form and everyday use.
Kosher baked goods
Manischewitz Macaroons
Canned and packaged macaroons associated with Passover and kosher dessert consumption. The company’s macaroon business includes products connected with the Goodman label following the acquisition of Horowitz-Margareten Matzo.
Packaged baked goods
Manischewitz Cookies and Crackers
A broader range of kosher shelf-stable baked goods that supports the brand outside the Passover season. These products extend Manischewitz into ordinary household snacking and pantry use while retaining its kosher positioning.
Packaged pantry foods
Manischewitz Pasta and Soups
Kosher pantry products that broaden the company’s portfolio beyond matzo and baked goods. They reflect the brand’s role as a general packaged-food supplier for consumers seeking kosher-certified staples.
Kosher wine · 1986
Manischewitz Concord Wine
A separately operated wine product licensed under the Manischewitz name. The budget-oriented Concord wine is made from labrusca grapes and is notably sweet. Special Passover bottlings use cane sugar rather than the corn syrup found in some regular-year products. The wine business is now associated with E. & J. Gallo Winery rather than the core R.A.B. Foods operation.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- Man-O-Manischewitz, What a Wine!
United States
A memorable advertising slogan used to promote Manischewitz wine and reinforce its association with sweet kosher Concord wine. The phrase became closely identified with the wine brand in American popular culture.
Outcome. The phrase became closely identified with the wine brand in American popular culture.
Brand decisions
2021
E. & J. Gallo Winery acquires Manischewitz wineM&ABackground
The Manischewitz wine name had been licensed separately from the core food company since 1986.
Action taken
E. & J. Gallo Winery acquired the wine brand and continued operating it under a license from R.A.B. Foods.
Aftermath
The transaction preserved the distinction between Manischewitz’s kosher-food operations and its separately managed wine business.
2017
Newark facility closure and relocationStrategyBackground
The company reassessed its manufacturing footprint several years after opening the Newark plant.
Action taken
Manischewitz closed the Newark facility and moved production to another New Jersey location.
Aftermath
The relocation resulted in the loss of 169 jobs.
2014
Sankaty Advisors acquisitionM&ABackground
Manischewitz was owned by an investor group that included Harbinger Capital.
Action taken
Sankaty Advisors, a Bain Capital affiliate, acquired the company on April 7, 2014.
Aftermath
The transaction continued Manischewitz’s operation as a privately held kosher-food business.
2011
Investment in Newark manufacturing headquartersStrategyBackground
The company sought a large New Jersey base to combine manufacturing and corporate functions near major Jewish and grocery markets.
Action taken
Manischewitz opened a 200,000-square-foot facility in Newark.
Aftermath
The facility closed in 2017, with operations transferred to another New Jersey location.
1990
Management buyoutM&ABackground
After operating as a public corporation since 1923, Manischewitz changed ownership through a private-equity-backed transaction.
Action taken
Kohlberg & Company led a management buyout valued at $42.5 million and took the company private.
Aftermath
The transaction ended the company’s public-company period and began a succession of private ownership arrangements.
Transaction value. $42.5 million (1990)
Sources1 sources
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