Unique Pretzel rebrands
Amid surging popularity, the Muhlenberg Township company announced it will become Unique Snacks
Unique Pretzel Bakery Inc. in Muhlenberg Township is no more. Last week, the nearly 100-yearold company announced it has rebranded to become Unique Snacks, unveiling updated packaging and hinting at new product lines to come.
The refresh isn’t a desperate ploy to win over fickle consumers though, nor is it a sign the sixth-generation family- owned business is preparing to sell. The longtime pretzel maker isn’t shifting away from its signature Splits, either.
To the contrary, the rebrand to Unique Snacks comes at a time when sales have never been stronger, and with a clear succession plan in place for a seventh generation to eventually take over.
“We’ve really started catching our stride,” said Justin Spannuth, vice president and chief operating officer at Unique Snacks, adding there’s been no talks of selling or bringing on investors.
“We were a regional brand until 2008, and we’ve become pretty good at what we’re doing as we grow across the country.”
“Pretty good” might be a bit of an understatement. Unique was already available in grocery stores across the country, and Spannuth notes 2020 is the 11th consecutive year the business landed among the top 50 in Berks County.
Yet, somewhat astonishingly, the arrival of the coronavirus and resulting explosion in e-commerce led to some of the company’s sharpest growth to date.
Since March, sales through the Unique Snacks website have tripled, while purchases made through Amazon increased by approximately 575%, according to a press release.
“No one could have ever predicted the pandemic nor the ripple effects of how or where it impacted different industries in different ways,” said Spannuth.
Why Unique Pretzel rebranded
With its 100th business anniversary approaching in February, a rebrand was likely on the horizon regardless. However, Unique moved quickly in an attempt to capitalize on the surge.
“Awareness for our brand, sales of our brand were actually on an uptick,” said Spannuth. “But when grocery and online sales spiked, it provided opportunities to be able to move a little faster.”
The name change — which crucially swaps “Pretzel” for “Snacks” — signals different products might be on the way.
“We anticipated doing a rebrand so we could extend ourselves beyond pretzels,” said Spannuth. “We’re opening up our
business model, types of products, how we sell them and expanding our footprint and space on the shelf.”
Nothing is imminent, revealed Spannuth, dropping few hints except to say whatever comes next is likely to be in the pretzel family. He acknowledges Unique Snacks is monitoring industry trends, however, with new products potentially reaching the market “at some point” in 2021.
It was important any rebranding not stray too far from what longtime customers know and love about Unique.
“The challenge was not losing who we are,” said Spannuth. “Going as far as we can with a new message while still retaining our heritage and not over-rebranding.”
Family values
Heritage is clearly important at Unique Snacks even as the company moved to tweak its name and logo.
“It’s a really neat opportunity to have a 100-year- old familyowned-and-operated business,” said Spannuth, noting few last that long while remaining in the family. His brother, William Spannuth, currently serves as president and CEO.
“We have a very solid succession plan. It’s definitely difficult, but needs to be taken seriously so we’re prepared for the seventh generation to be sure this continues.”
Spannuth adds it’s not just about blood relatives or who’s part of an executive leadership team. It’s a culture Unique tries to instill regardless of a person’s position with the company.
“It is a family business with a family feel and that’s something we strive to not let go away,” said Spannuth. “It’s a culture we try to curate even as we bring in more upper management, and that management needs that feel of putting employees before themselves.”
So when sales spiked early during the pandemic, Unique brought on dozens of temporary employees — many laid off or furloughed from other jobs — to both assist with the volume, but also allow people to stay home if they weren’t feeling well.
“That made everybody feel very comfortable knowing their job is safe,” said Spannuth.