Equipment partnerships power new Ditsch USA facility

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Equipment partnerships power new Ditsch USA facility

15 Dec 2025

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

KANSAS CITY, MO — Cincinnati-based Ditsch USA, known for its portfolio of innovative pretzels, is collaborating with its customers to create new flavors, formats and uses.

“We’re walking side by side with our customers,” said John Stefanik, VP of sales and marketing for Ditsch USA. “We don’t just rely on them to say, ‘This is what we need.’ We collaborate with our customers directly, and we have a specialized segment and sales team with close connections, so we’re always ready to help them.”

On the other hand, the team has to first collaborate internally and with supplier partners to understand what’s functionally possible. For that, resources such as Puratos’ Taste Tomorrow research become valuable tools.

“We see Puratos as knowledge partners,” said Thorsten Schroeder, CEO of Ditsch USA. “The knowledge they bring to the table is absolutely powerful, and it’s an incredible collaboration.”

Once products are developed, testing is critical to bring them to fruition.

“It’s easy to be at the bench and make something look great, but what happens when you bring it on the production line?” Schroeder said. “That’s a key point in the development process. Before we can present a finished product, we have to know we can make it in an industrial scenario and keep the quality while giving it momentum. It doesn’t make sense to create a shape we can’t replicate with our current equipment or innovative modifications.”

Pivotal supplier partnerships

While the first line in the original bakery will eventually become an in-house test line, Ditsch USA has tapped into the new Puratos Pilot Bakery, powered by AMF Bakery Systems, to test new product iterations on a fully functional industrial line without disrupting daily operations at either of its own facilities.

“The equipment at the Pilot Bakery is more or less ‘cut in,’” Stefanik said. “We can roll pieces in or out or reconfigure the line, depending on how we need to replicate one of our lines and the technology we have in each facility.”

Collaborating with OEM partners eased pressure as Ditsch USA settled into operating two plants, with the new facility having started up in late 2024. Today, both bakeries have a total of five lines, and any product can be made on any line in either location.

“We’ve designed the bakeries to have the flexibility and speed to react to almost any customer demands,” Schroeder said. “We can achieve that by not limiting specific items to one site, so our equipment is set up to make nearly all products at both sites.”

Capacity was the primary objective for opening the second bakery, but adding flexibility also allows for redundancies that create a backup scenario.

“Redundancy equals security for our customers,” Stefanik said. “It’s like we’re our own secondary supplier, just 10 minutes down the street. As COVID exposed, supply chain is key, so there was a lot of thought put into how we designed and mirrored the facilities.”

The flagship bakery originally had one production line with a MULTIVAC/FRITSCH Multi Twist, and today the bakery houses three lines with several Multi Twists working in tandem.

“Redundancy equals security for our customers. It’s like we’re our own secondary supplier, just 10 minutes down the street. As COVID exposed, supply chain is key, so there was a lot of thought put into how we designed and mirrored the facilities.” — John Stefanik | VP of sales and marketing | Ditsch USA

“Our twisters are a great example of how we approach innovation,” said plant manager Robert Cramer. “Yes, this is a machine that twists a pretzel, but there are several other things it can do in terms of forming other items. We can make adjustments depending on how we prepare and manage the dough.”

This “small but mighty” space is producing exponentially more than the original operation, in terms of not only output but also the creativity that goes into new product iterations. For example, the robotic scoring machine from ABI Ltd., scores with the utmost precision, enabling a customized score on practically any product.

“We could write your name on a pretzel with this machine,” Cramer said. “It’s that precise.”

Meanwhile, at the new facility, two AMF lines could produce bites, paninis, swirls and other items. The modularity of the mirror-image lines enables production of either one large run or multiple variations.

“One line may be doing bites while the other is doing something a little different,” Cramer said. “They’re versatile enough that we can plug and play into the central areas and alter the process enough to enable a specific innovation.”

Ditsch USA’s process might not be new to baking, but it is outside the norm for pretzel making. How the dough is nurtured and developed — starting with the Sancassiano mixers and through makeup and forming — results in a texture that’s arguably unmatched in the market, and it leads to further innovation.

“That’s how the magic happens,” Cramer said.

Tried-and-true equipment such as the mixers and the Spiromatic ingredient handling in both bakeries allow efficiency in producing this six-ingredient artisan product at scale. Of those six ingredients, three are handled through the Spiromatic system while the rest are hand-fed into the mixers.

And of course, soft, fluffy pretzels require a perfect bake; the makeup lines feed AMF tunnel ovens to deliver just that.

Unparalleled innovation

Then again, some innovation at the new bakery is changing the game in a totally different way. An all-CO2-driven freezer system supports the warehouse freezer and the one in production. It’s not only environmentally friendly but also eases total cost of ownership for freezing.

“The system is set up to handle cooling for the whole plant,” Cramer said. “We don’t have to add anything to it. That’s where bottlenecks happen, when we have to think, ‘How am I going to cool all of this? How much more ammonia do I need to add?’ But it’s all CO2, so it’s also environmentally friendly.”

As the brand rides a wave of “Americanized” pretzel innovation in the US, the company is expanding its reach throughout all of North America … and beyond. Many food trends in the US are spinoffs of European originals, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make their way back across the pond, gaining attention of their own.

“The global market has come to really want Americanized things,” Stefanik said. “There are many people overseas who are intrigued by what we’re doing with our pretzel bites.”

That intrigue is converting to sales as Ditsch USA begins exporting orders overseas.

“But it only works when we stay true to our roots,” he added.

With all that’s happening, this isn’t the “Wild West” for pretzel making. The company’s stage-gate process ensures product development is done with intention, regardless of the speed. Creativity doesn’t mean the team simply lets imagination run wild. Even while stretching the limits of pretzel innovation, it must maintain Ditsch’s brand integrity and always stay true to the original formula.

“Do we want to bend to the left or right a little?” Schroeder observed. “Yes, we do. That’s important. But long-term, we must stay consistent, and development has to meet those standards.”

With room in the new bakery to add at least four more lines, as well as create space for dedicated distribution and on-site R&D, growth will come at the pace demand dictates.

“We’ve created a ‘plug and play’ situation,” Stefanik said. “With it, there’s no challenge we can’t face.”

The USA team has struck a balance between honoring a century of Ditsch’s expertise — and even more history of its product — with adopting new technology and adapting to modern American tastes. The result is a group of “pretzel ambassadors” presenting this product like never before.

“New” for the sake of being new doesn’t work here. No matter how innovative the products or technology are, Ditsch USA will stay true to its core, ensuring every product fits the time-honored process and quality standards of the brand.

“We don’t call them ‘bites of happiness and pretzel love’ for no reason,” Stefanik said. “We love every aspect of that dough, from start to finish.”

This story has been adapted from the October | Q4 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the digital edition here.

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