Our Story
A BAKER'S SECRET RECIPE
In 1858, Casper Gloor, a master baker from Switzerland, settled in Tell City, Indiana as a member of the Swiss Colonization Society. Using a secret recipe he brought from Switzerland, he began baking fine pretzels.
Bringing a long-established tradition to Indiana, Gloor never revealed his secret formula and his famous hand-twisted pretzels became known throughout the region. After he died in 1912, the recipe was passed down to the new master baker, Alex Kessler who had worked alongside Gloor for 17 years. Continuing with the long-standing tradition, the recipe was only passed on to future bakers. So when Alex Kessler passed away, his two sons became the bearers of the famous recipe, and as time went on future owners of the company.
Rising on centuries of tradition, Tell City Pretzels has been hand-twisted and baked in strict accordance with the centuries-old fashioned formula since it began, establishing the fine quality and taste it has become known for.
HAND-CRAFTED TRADITIONS
The history of Tell City Pretzels had a brief stop in production, but the future of the company resumed with a hunt to find the famous Tell City Pretzels. In 2008, Sandy Smith could no longer find her husband Brad’s favorite snack in area stores. The Tell City Pretzel had been a part of the lives of these High School sweethearts since the 1970s. Manufactured an hour away from their hometown of Jasper, these pretzels were Brad’s go-to snack and were always easily found in local grocery stores. So when Sandy could no longer find his favorite snack, curiosity led her to the discovery that Tell City Pretzels had closed.
Brad and Sandy saw an opportunity and on July 2, 2009, purchased the assets of the famous Tell City Pretzels. Brad not only broadened his business interests, but he brought back his favorite snack! The fine quality, unique taste, and crunch of the Tell City Pretzel legacy could continue! While people all over the world could now purchase this savory snack and observe baking the pretzels, the baking techniques and secret recipe remain in the hands of the current baker!
When Sandy bought this crunchy snack for Brad, she would inspect each bag’s content thoroughly to ensure minimal breakage (it was best if there was none!) She would treat each bag delicately, like a carton of eggs, until handing it off to Brad. This all changed the day she observed Brad doing what she now calls the Der Kruncher “smash ‘em up.” You simply can’t eat a Tell City Pretzel without breaking it first. From that point on, she decided there is no need to spend time inspecting each bag, she realized she could grab-and-go and save Brad the energy to smash ‘em up before enjoying!
A NEW TWIST ON A SECRET RECIPE
Rooted in the tradition established in 1858, Brad and Sandy have worked to preserve the same hard pretzel recipe, continuing to create the Tell City hard pretzel customers have known for over 100 years. And yes, the recipe is still a secret, only known to the baker!
As demand grew for the Tell City Pretzel, the task became finding ways to maintain the authenticity of the pretzel while adding technology to production. Mixers were upgraded, a new extruder was purchased, lye application and salting was automated, new ovens were installed, and packaging equipment was added. This was all done to maintain the uniqueness of the Tell City Pretzel and improve quality and safety. The big change occurred in 2018 with the addition of a pretzel twisting machine. Having been hand twisted for over 150 years, a German-made pretzel twister was added. Not only did this enable the company to make more pretzels, it also enabled producing a variety of pretzels, thus our next chapter.
The Tell City Pretzel is not only a favorite go-to snack for families and traditions, but customers share these pretzels are what they teethed on! This hard pretzel creates many fond memories!
RAISING THE DOUGH
A new idea emerged, while preserving the strong history of the Tell City hard pretzel. The company began exploring the creation of a soft pretzel option. Tell City Pretzels was ready to rise into a new era, creating a more mainstream product that could open a new customer base.
After years in the baking room, finagling with ingredients and a lot of testing - the soft pretzel was made!
And just like the hard pretzel, the recipe is still a secret!