While the pretzel’s story begins in 7th-century Europe (no one is exactly certain where), Pennsylvania has embraced this humble snack as its own. So much so, that it’s known as “the Pretzel Belt,” producing 80% of the pretzels in the U.S. Forty-five pretzel manufacturers call PA home, almost one for every PA county!
One of the major reasons for the geographic concentration of this snack food was the large numbers of German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries, bringing with them their family recipes for what had become a beloved Bavarian food.
For National Pretzel Day, we’re highlighting five PA pretzel purveyors who continue this ancient food’s tradition, churning out the twisty treat that each American consumes 1.5 pounds of, every year.
In 1861, a mid-20s man named Julius Sturgis purchased a home on Main Street in Lititz, PA. He quickly built an addition onto the home and opened what became America’s first commercial pretzel bakery.
His legacy continues today. More than 160 years later, the business is still being run by a member of the Sturgis family. They make the original soft pretzel using barley malt (which they say makes all the difference), and hard pretzel varieties.
Tours are available, and according to their website, visitors can get a hands-on lesson in pretzel twisting, observe their bakers twisting old-fashioned soft pretzels by hand, and shop for delicious treats and souvenirs in their bakery store.
Philadelphians put the average American to shame, eating 12 pounds of pretzels, per person, per year (what?!). So, what better place to build a pretzel empire than the City of Brotherly Love?
That’s exactly what Dan DiZio did. He began selling soft pretzels at age 11 and after college, he founded the Philly Pretzel Factory at its original location in the Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Famous for their large, soft pretzels, they now boast franchise locations in 16 states and go through more than 100,000 gallons of mustard (the pretzel’s favorite condiment!) in a year. Their flagship location is still open on Frankford Avenue in Philly, and you can visit to snag one of these tasty Philly twists.
Founded by William Lichty in 1931, at the height of the Depression, using his grandfather’s (William Hammond’s) recipe from the 1800s, Hammonds has been making hand-rolled hard pretzels for nearly a century.
Located in Lancaster, PA, and still made in the original production facility, Hammond’s limits their production volume to ensure their product’s quality. While you can’t tour the factory – it's just too small! – you can watch the pretzels being made through a window at their bakery store. You can even purchase pretzels fresh out of the oven and still hot!
Located in downtown Reading, PA, Fäller’s has been making their brick oven-baked pretzels since 1911. Fäller’s was recently purchased by two Berks County families, the Remleys and the Snyders, and they still use the same, original recipe and all-natural ingredients to craft their hard pretzels.
Famous for their pretzel sticks instead of the usual twist, they ship nationwide. And while they don’t have a storefront or factory tour available, they do sell their products online.
Family owned and operated since 1927, Shuey’s is located in Lebanon, PA. They make both hard and soft pretzels but are famous for their giant soft pretzels that are the size of a human baby and require two hands to manage.
Shuey’s just started shipping their brick oven-baked pretzels locally in June of 2023 and still do not have a website. If you want even a small shot at scoring one of their cult-favorite pretzels, you had better plan on lining up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday, the only day they’re open!
No list of pretzels in PA would be complete without a nod to Hanover, PA. This town of only 16,000 residents on the Mason-Dixon line boasts four pretzel manufacturers: Snyder’s of Hanover, Utz, Wege Pretzels, and Revonah Pretzels.
Snyder’s of Hanover was founded in 1909 by Harry Warhime to humble beginnings as the Hanover Pretzel Company. Now, the leader in the pretzel industry, Snyder’s offers a vast array of pretzel products designed for every person’s preference.
Bill and Sallie Utz started selling potato chips from their summer kitchen in 1921. Four generations later, Utz is now a publicly traded company, selling all varieties of snacks, but pretzels are a major part of their gig and are manufactured at their Broadway plant in Hanover.
The Wege family began their business in 1874 as bakers of breads and rolls. In the 1920s, a German employee introduced his hard pretzel recipe to them, and the rest is history. Wege Pretzels is now owned by Hanover Foods and boasts a 100,000+ square foot manufacturing facility on the south end of town.
Making hand twisted pretzels since 1935, Revonah (Hanover spelled backwards) Hand Made Pretzels is the smallest operation in Hanover, but no less delicious! Hand twisting and baking small batches of eight varieties of pretzels, Revonah even offers local delivery to your doorstep!
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