York City Pretzel plans Parmesan crab-flavored snacks
York City Pretzel Co. launched a retail brand of hard pretzels, Revolutionary Pretzels, placed in 30 area stores.
York City Pretzel Co. has launched a retail brand in a push to move its hard pretzels from the bakery to store shelves.
That brand, Revolutionary Pretzels, has distribution deals with 30 area stores, including Darrenkamp’s in Newberry Township, the S. Clyde Weaver deli shops and Beer and Soda Mart in Red Lion.
Phil Given opened the pretzel bakery at 39 W. Market St. in December 2014, where he bagged small batches of hard pretzels by hand. More recently, the the company set up a pretzel-making facility in Intercourse, Lancaster County, switching to a machine that can churn out 40 bags of pretzels per minute.
That's a change that gives the company a shot at competing for a niche in a market dominated by multi-million dollar companies, Given said.
"To make a baseball analogy, you can have flair and have style, but you still have to have cleats and a ball and a bat," Given said. "We needed to have this bag to compete with the big boys.”
To that end, Given worked with company partner Ben McGlaughlin and with Rising Tide Distribution to get the pretzels on store shelves.
Five years ago, a small company would have had little chance of selling its products at retail stores, said McGlaughlin, who is also the CEO of Wolfgang Candy Co. However, consumer demands have changed with the rise of "craft" products, McGlaughlin said. These days, customers are searching for products that feel more authentic and unique.
Given hopes those qualities will shine through in his flavors, which he co-designed with chef Howard Cantor. The pretzels come in smokehouse chipotle, wasabi ginger, honey mustard and Parmesan crab flavors. A seven ounce bag retails for $3.50, a price-point he said is competitive for a craft product.
The plan is for the pretzel-making operation to soon relocate to York, Given said. He's looking for about 2,000 square feet of space to produce and package the pretzels. The push to make as many as 60,000 bags of pretzels a month also means he's likely to add jobs to his 15-person workforce, he said.
As for the brand name itself, Given said he hopes to represent York's history across the country.
"We have such great colonial and revolutionary history downtown and through the county," Given said. "We wanted to take a little piece of home with us.”
