diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsAndGaps.scala b/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsAndGaps.scala
index d6070e9d..a062ccd5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsAndGaps.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsAndGaps.scala
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import com.wixpress.dst.greyhound.core.{Offset, OffsetAndMetadata, TopicPartitio
 import zio._
 
 import java.util.Base64
+import scala.util.Try
 
 trait OffsetsAndGaps {
   def init(committedOffsets: Map[TopicPartition, OffsetAndGaps]): UIO[Unit]
@@ -111,11 +112,9 @@ object OffsetsAndGaps {
 
   def parseGapsString(rawOffsetAndGapsString: String): Option[OffsetAndGaps] = {
     val offsetAndGapsString             =
-      if (rawOffsetAndGapsString.nonEmpty)
-        new String(
-          GzipCompression.decompress(Base64.getDecoder.decode(rawOffsetAndGapsString)).getOrElse(Array.empty)
-        )
-      else ""
+      if (rawOffsetAndGapsString.nonEmpty) {
+        Try(new String(GzipCompression.decompress(Base64.getDecoder.decode(rawOffsetAndGapsString)).getOrElse(Array.empty))).getOrElse("")
+      } else ""
     val lastHandledOffsetSeparatorIndex = offsetAndGapsString.indexOf(LAST_HANDLED_OFFSET_SEPARATOR)
     if (lastHandledOffsetSeparatorIndex < 0)
       None
@@ -132,13 +131,19 @@ object OffsetsAndGaps {
     }
   }
 
-  def firstGapOffset(gapsString: String): Option[Offset] = {
+  private def firstGapOffset(gapsString: String): Option[Offset] = {
     val maybeOffsetAndGaps = parseGapsString(gapsString)
     maybeOffsetAndGaps match {
       case Some(offsetAndGaps) if offsetAndGaps.gaps.nonEmpty => Some(offsetAndGaps.gaps.minBy(_.start).start)
       case _                                                  => None
     }
   }
+
+  def gapsSmallestOffsets(offsets: Map[TopicPartition, Option[OffsetAndMetadata]]): Map[TopicPartition, OffsetAndMetadata] =
+    offsets
+      .collect { case (tp, Some(om)) => tp -> om }
+      .map(tpom => tpom._1 -> (firstGapOffset(tpom._2.metadata), tpom._2.metadata))
+      .collect { case (tp, (Some(offset), metadata)) => tp -> OffsetAndMetadata(offset, metadata) }
 }
 
 case class Gap(start: Offset, end: Offset) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializer.scala b/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializer.scala
index 234e7ba9..31b5d2bd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializer.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializer.scala
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package com.wixpress.dst.greyhound.core.consumer
 
 import java.time.Clock
 import com.wixpress.dst.greyhound.core.consumer.ConsumerMetric.{CommittedMissingOffsets, CommittedMissingOffsetsFailed, SkippedGapsOnInitialization}
-import com.wixpress.dst.greyhound.core.consumer.OffsetsAndGaps.{firstGapOffset, parseGapsString}
 import com.wixpress.dst.greyhound.core.{ClientId, Group, Offset, OffsetAndMetadata, TopicPartition}
 import com.wixpress.dst.greyhound.core.metrics.{GreyhoundMetric, GreyhoundMetrics}
 import zio.{URIO, ZIO}
@@ -82,10 +81,7 @@ class OffsetsInitializer(
     val seekToEndPartitions                 = seekTo.collect { case (k, SeekTo.SeekToEnd) => k }.toSet
     val toPause                             = seekTo.collect { case (k, SeekTo.Pause) => k }
     val seekToEndOffsets                    = fetchEndOffsets(seekToEndPartitions, timeout).mapValues(OffsetAndMetadata.apply)
-    val gapsSmallestOffsets                 = currentCommittedOffsets
-      .collect { case (tp, Some(om)) => tp -> om }
-      .map(tpom => tpom._1 -> (firstGapOffset(tpom._2.metadata), tpom._2.metadata))
-      .collect { case (tp, (Some(offset), metadata)) => tp -> OffsetAndMetadata(offset, metadata) }
+    val gapsSmallestOffsets                 = OffsetsAndGaps.gapsSmallestOffsets(currentCommittedOffsets)
     val seekToGapsOffsets                   = if (parallelConsumer) gapsSmallestOffsets else Map.empty
     val toOffsets                           = seekToOffsets ++ seekToEndOffsets ++ seekToGapsOffsets
 
@@ -96,7 +92,7 @@ class OffsetsInitializer(
   private def reportSkippedGaps(currentCommittedOffsets: Map[TopicPartition, Option[OffsetAndMetadata]]) = {
     val skippedGaps = currentCommittedOffsets
       .collect { case (tp, Some(om)) => tp -> om }
-      .map(tpom => tpom._1 -> parseGapsString(tpom._2.metadata))
+      .map(tpom => tpom._1 -> OffsetsAndGaps.parseGapsString(tpom._2.metadata))
       .collect { case (tp, Some(gaps)) => tp -> gaps }
     reporter(SkippedGapsOnInitialization(clientId, group, skippedGaps))
   }
diff --git a/core/src/test/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializerTest.scala b/core/src/test/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializerTest.scala
index 2b8ffb0f..32aeb11a 100644
--- a/core/src/test/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializerTest.scala
+++ b/core/src/test/scala/com/wixpress/dst/greyhound/core/consumer/OffsetsInitializerTest.scala
@@ -192,6 +192,24 @@ class OffsetsInitializerTest extends SpecificationWithJUnit with Mockito {
         )
     }
 
+  "commit offsets even when unknown metadata string is present in committed offsets" in
+    new ctx() {
+      givenCommittedOffsetsAndMetadata(partitions)(Map(p1 -> OffsetAndMetadata(randomInt, randomStr)))
+      givenPositions(p2 -> p2Pos, p3 -> p3Pos)
+
+      committer.initializeOffsets(partitions)
+
+      val missingOffsets = Map(
+        p2 -> p2Pos,
+        p3 -> p3Pos
+      )
+      there was
+        one(offsetOps).commitWithMetadata(
+          missingOffsets.mapValues(OffsetAndMetadata(_)),
+          timeout
+        )
+    }
+
   class ctx(val seekTo: Map[TopicPartition, SeekTo] = Map.empty, offsetReset: OffsetReset = OffsetReset.Latest) extends Scope {
     private val metricsLogRef           = new AtomicReference(Seq.empty[GreyhoundMetric])
     def reported                        = metricsLogRef.get
@@ -226,6 +244,12 @@ class OffsetsInitializerTest extends SpecificationWithJUnit with Mockito {
       offsetOps.committedWithMetadata(partitions, timeout) returns result.mapValues(OffsetAndMetadata(_))
     }
 
+    def givenCommittedOffsetsAndMetadata(partitions: Set[TopicPartition], timeout: zio.Duration = timeout)(
+      result: Map[TopicPartition, OffsetAndMetadata]
+    ) = {
+      offsetOps.committedWithMetadata(partitions, timeout) returns result
+    }
+
     def givenEndOffsets(partitions: Set[TopicPartition], timeout: zio.Duration = timeout)(result: Map[TopicPartition, Long]) = {
       offsetOps.endOffsets(partitions, timeout) returns result
     }