In Memoriam: Gerald Shreiber, founder of J&J Snack Foods

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In Memoriam: Gerald Shreiber, founder of J&J Snack Foods

18 May 2026

Maddie Lambert

Maddie Lambert is a copywriter and editor from Joplin, MO. She graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English – literary studies. When she’s not poring over the magazine or lost in the pages of a new novel, you can find Maddie exploring her local bookstores, spending time with her husband, or sharing her latest literary discoveries with fellow book enthusiasts.

LAUREL, NJ — Gerald Shreiber, founder of J&J Snack Foods and its classic brand SUPERPRETZEL, passed away May 9. He was 84 years old.

In 1971, Shreiber purchased a soft pretzel company for about $72,000 out of bankruptcy court and transformed it from a small local company with eight employees into the publicly traded billion-dollar snack food company with more than 4,500 employees it is today. At the time Shreiber bought the business, soft pretzels were mostly a “Philadelphia snack.”

However, Shreiber’s vision transformed the original soft pretzel market, making SUPERPRETZEL omnipresent and introducing an expanded line of soft pretzels. Today, they are sold all over the world at theme parks, sports arenas, restaurants, grocery channels and more.

Shreiber sought other niche food categories that complemented J&J Snack Foods and added the now-popular churros and ICEE Frozen Carbonated beverages in 1981. Additional well-known brands include Funnel Cake Factory, Dippin’ Dots, Dogsters and countless others.

Beyond his business success, he was a fervent supporter of animal welfare and humane causes, devoting much of his time and energy to caring for animals, especially dogs and horses.

He is survived by his three children — Robyn Shreiber, Lindsay Shreiber (Elisabeth Hasslacher), and Marjorie Shreiber Roshkoff (Ken Roshkoff) — six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

The Shreiber family requests that donations be made to PSPCA, any animal welfare organization, Ben Gurion University, or the Zionist Organization of America in his memory.