National Soft Pretzel Month

Who knew? Seems Pennsylvania is a real powerhouse when it comes to pretzel consumption. In fact, Pennsylvanians reportedly eat 12 pounds of pretzels a year, compared to two pounds per American on average, and the state reportedly produces 80 percent of the pretzels made in the U.S., thanks to the German immigrants (dubbed the Pennsylvania Dutch) who introduced the snack with when they settled here in the 1700s.

Yet another who knew …October is National Pretzel Month (as opposed to April, the more specific National Soft Pretzel Month), so, no question, the humble nibble has its fans.

None of this surprises Plymouth Meeting mother and daughter Lynn and Stephanie Kriebel. The Kriebel name was a familiar one in community and scholastic sports circles for many years. But now, Lynn, a former nurse, and Stephanie, a teacher by training, are breaking new ground with their OMG! Pretzels.

Underpinning the boutique brand … the garlic-dusted treats Lynn created for her four kids decades ago. These days, OMG! Pretzels is a registered LLC, and its savory and sweet nuggets – Garlic, Chesapeake Spice, Cheddar Jalapeno, Lemon Pepper, Sweet & Salty, Sweet & Spicy, Salty Butterscotch and Sweet Chili – are prepped and packaged in a professional kitchen in New Jersey.

OMG! Pretzels became a thing in 2014, branded as such because – the Kriebels maintain – "Once you pop one in your mouth, ‘OMG!’ comes popping out!" Apparently, plenty of pretzel connoisseurs agree. According to Stephanie, first-year sales were $10,000 to $15,000. During the first three quarters of 2021, they jumped to some $300,000.

"We’ve had slow but steady growth since we started," she says.

Spurred on by years of encouragement from family and friends, OMG! Pretzels began as a two-woman cottage industry in Lynn's Plymouth Township kitchen. Two years in, the duo moved production to a King of Prussia synagogue's commercial kitchen before partnering with a professional "co-packer" in mid-2020, a move that "allowed us to scale up to meet growing demand."

OMG! Pretzels are now sold nationally and online, but the company's initial marketing plan was equally grassroots.

"At first, my mom just went door-to-door, handing out samples and asking local businesses to sell them, and we’re so grateful to those earliest customers," Stephanie says. "Ana from Ana's Corner Store on Township Line Road was our first customer, and she was terrific … very kind. She helped mentor my mom when she was just getting started. Some of our other early customers were McCaffrey's on Skippack Pike, Fat Daddy's Deli in Plymouth Meeting and Ambler Beverage. That's not everybody, but, locally, we’ve been really fortunate to get the kind of support we have."

At $8-$9 per eight-ounce bag, OMG! Pretzels aren't cheap. However, Stephanie attributes their popularity to "the quality of the seasonings and the high-quality nuggets we use." Technically, she explains, OMG! is a "pretzel seasoning company," but those nuggets come from "a supplier who's one of the best in the business."

"Our blends are unique, and we don't skimp on the seasonings," she says. "We feel that that combination of unique flavor profiles and a quality pretzel makes us stand out … makes us different from other flavored pretzels that are out there. With most of those pretzels, you get flavor in the first bite. Then, you’re down to plain pretzel. With ours, you get flavor with every bite."

One example, their use of turbinado sugar "which has a larger granule, so that flavor hit you get when you take your first bite lasts all the way to the end." In short, turbinado is minimally processed, which allows it to retain some of the molasses that occurs naturally in sugarcane and – the experts say – typically costs two to three times more than regular sugar.

"We believe that color and texture…having a beautiful product visually is really important, too," Stephanie says. "So, our Sweet Chili is a nice, rich red. Our Sweet & Spicy has a beautiful orange tone from the cayenne. With our Sweet & Salty, you get a toasty brown dusting from the cinnamon and turbinado sugar. The Salty Butterscotch is a creamy brown that makes you think of that butterscotch candy your grandmother gave you when you were a kid. And with our Lemon Pepper, you see the black pepper granules and the yellow of the citrus."

The mother-daughter team calls OMG! Pretzels’ research and development "ongoing." As a result, a Tex-Mex variety was discontinued because it was "too hot for people." Toned down, it became Cheddar Jalapeno, which is currently getting its own makeover.

"At the moment, we’re reformulating our cheddar flavoring, and when we’re finished, every one of our varieties will be all-natural," Stephanie says. "The thing is, you don't know ‘til you try something out. You also have to create awareness around the different varieties. We introduced three flavors during the pandemic, so we couldn't sample them, and they took a while to catch on, but now they’re doing well…especially our Sweet Chili and Salty Butterscotch."

She and Lynn also rely on input from their "built-in focus group."

"We have 23 family members all here, all ages," Stephanie says. "We’re aware that with family, sometimes comes bias. But this is a pretty outspoken bunch, and so far, they haven't had any trouble telling us exactly what they think rather than what they think we want to hear."

At press time, OMG! Pretzels had just received certification as a WBENC Women's Business Enterprise. Additional information is available at www.OMGpretzels.com.

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