Milwaukee Pretzel Co.’s Matt and Katie Wessel on creating growth

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Milwaukee Pretzel Co.’s Matt and Katie Wessel on creating growth

19 Dec 2022

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.

MILWAUKEE — As husband and wife and co-owners of Milwaukee-based Milwaukee Pretzel Co., Matt and Katie Wessel — president and COO, and CEO, respectively — understand the value of a strong partnership. It’s their foundation for taking big leaps of faith, which is also something this duo knows a thing or two about.

The Wessels’ passion for bringing authentic Bavarian pretzels to the American market is no secret. A simple Google search or a few clicks on the company website quickly reveals the brand story: The couple discovered their love for this traditional German fare after spending a year in Munich.

But what the product means to Matt and Katie is something much deeper.

The pretzel they sell is a manifestation of their values as business owners, manufacturers, community members and even as a family. It’s all tied together … in a pretzel knot, if you will.

“There’s a German word, gemütlichkeit,” Katie said. “It’s not translatable into English, but it means that feeling you get when you’re surrounded by the people you love and doing something you love. That feeling was instrumental in the development of our business.

For us, the experience is not just about having a pretzel; it’s about recreating what it feels like to have a pretzel in a beer garden under the chestnut trees on a beautiful day.”

Despite the high Germanic population in Milwaukee, soft pretzels were not a big part of the landscape. So, Matt and Katie felt compelled to create a pretzel that played an unmistakable role in a truly German experience.

“It’s important to us as business owners to develop a brand that aligns with these warm memories that were such a big part of our life,” Matt added. “It comes from our own experiences, but we can use that to help people create their own memories when they’re eating our product.”

Bringing Bavarian pretzels to the US market was a decision that was a perfect balance between business and personal.

“Our mission was not just to sell pretzels; it was also to bring the gemütlichkeit experience to people through them,” Matt said. “Yes, we saw a business opportunity, but we also saw a way to bring something we had fallen in love with to people in our community and beyond.”

“It’s important to us as business owners to develop a brand that aligns with these warm memories that were such a big part of our life. It comes from our own experiences, but we can use that to help people create their own memories when they’re eating our product.” — Matt Wessel | president and COO | Milwaukee Pretzel Co.

It’s what sparked the momentum for the company’s rapid growth that’s occurred just inside of a decade.

“When you’re staying up late or getting up early to put the work in, sometimes that’s what pushes you the most to succeed,” Katie said. “Passion has pushed us to grow, and it’s continued that momentum for us.”

As the company matures, the workforce is growing along with it. On one hand, Matt chalks it up to luck; then again, discovering talent — and retaining it — requires a commitment that mirrors the Wessels’ love for their product.

“As you grow, you need help,” Matt said. “And hiring people who not only can do the work but also go beyond their job descriptions and quickly grow into new roles, identify opportunities, and live and breathe the brand and mission as much as we do — that’s so critical.”

Commitment also means being able to let go. For young manufacturers whose career paths didn’t start with manufacturing as the finish line, it’s a lesson that can only come from experience.

“We realized very quickly how important it is to let go of some of that control,” Katie said. “You cannot grow without doing that; you can’t have good processes or good manufacturing without trusting your people.”

Building a network of not only leadership but also mentors and trusted advisors was also key to their success. And much of that has come from Katie, who also happens to be the company’s creator. Initially running Milwaukee Pretzel on her own, Katie built a solid coalition of experts who helped her develop the process and make incremental business and manufacturing improvements.

This story has been adapted from the 2022 Innovations Annual issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.

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