Company with a twist
Milwaukee Pretzel Co. moving to bigger facility
Milwaukee Pretzel Co. a big part of city’s German experience.
When you’re craving some authentic German food in Milwaukee, a soft, salty Bavarian pretzel is likely on the shortlist. But whether you get the pretzels at Third Space Brewing, Milwaukee Alehouse or Lakefront Brewery, they likely come from the same source: Milwaukee Pretzel Co.
They’re also available this weekend at German Fest on the Summerfest grounds. The festival is like “Christmas in July” for the company, said Matt Wessel, who owns the company with his wife, Katie.
“We’re creating a massive pretzel empire,” he said. “It’s been fun to be a part of a really German product that really fits with the other products that this city is known for — beer, cheese and sausage.”
The area’s largest locally owned pretzel producer, Milwaukee Pretzel is growing rapidly.
The company recently purchased a 30,000
square-foot facility in Riverwest at 3745 N. Richards St., a substantial upgrade from its current 7,000-squarefoot home at the corner of North Holton Street and East Capitol Drive. The move is expected to be complete by the end of next spring.
Milwaukee Pretzel Co. was established in 2013, not long before its first appearance at German Fest. The Wessels wanted to provide a pretzel experience that’s artisanal but low-cost. Matt Wessel said it was a huge success, and they’ve come back every year.
“They (German Fest) liked us so much, they asked us to do it the next year,” he said. “That launched us as a company.”
Now, the company produces an average of 12,000 pretzels a day. That’s about 5,000 pounds of dough being hand-rolled.
Very little of the operation is automated right now, but with the new, larger facility, the Wessels are hoping to add more automation to improve efficiency. However, that doesn’t mean they’re looking to get rid of workers.
“it’s beyond enhanced production,” Matt Wessel said. “It’s being able to bring the pretzel experience to the people of Milwaukee.”
The company doesn’t just make standard pretzels. It also makes pretzel buns for burgers and sandwiches, as well as pretzel bites and sticks. The loaves of bread served at Mader’s come from the company, too. And they’re the official pretzel at Fiserv Forum.
“It’s been fun to help develop a desire and a following for a product that really wasn’t widely available,” Matt Wessel said. “There was no reason for it not to be.”
Grant Jahnke, a floor manager at Mader’s who’s been with the restaurant for five years, said it has been serving Milwaukee Pretzel products since he started working there. The “jumbo” pretzels, which weigh 11⁄2 pounds and are bigger than a dinner plate, are a hit with tourists and locals alike.
“People love them,” Jahnke said. “They taste great. People are always in awe of how big it actually is.”
Few other locally based pretzel producers exist in the region, and Jahnke said it’s no surprise.
“When you make them as good as they do, it’s not so surprising because they do it so well and they’re a local company,” he said. “We try and keep most of our food sources local here. We get our cheese from Cheese Mart and sausage from Usinger’s.”
The Wessels deliver pretzels and other products to clients in 14 other states, including Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois.
The Wessels plan to remain in Milwaukee. The couple have two children, and they want to have a successful company while also having a successful home life.
“We’re not looking to grow so fast that we never see our kids,” Matt Wessel said. “But at the same time, we want to grow fast enough that we’re always growing.”
The move will also allow the Wessels to add other elements to the business, including a retail store and guided production tours.
Right now, the company accepts only planned online orders, most of them from client restaurants and bars. A retail store and bakery would allow anyone to walk up and grab a fresh pretzel, and maybe leave with a T-shirt as well.
“If we do it right, it’ll allow us to give Milwaukee a true pretzel factory,” Wessels said.
“Not just a place that we pump out pretzels. A European-style pretzel factory that could be a destination.”