Skillman Santas bring Pretzel Crisps to NYC streets

December 13, 2008
http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/foodchain/2008/12/13/skillman-santas-bring-pretzel-crisps-to-nyc-streets/



A local company will be making a big promotional play in New York City this week to mark the Christmas-gift-mailing rush.

The Snack Factory, based in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township, makers of the pretzel cracker Pretzel Crisps, is deploying more than two dozen “Santas and elves” throughout five locations in Manhattan between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 16, to hand out more than 45,000 Pretzel Crisps to the public.

“This year,” says Snack Factory’s announcement, “the U.S. Postal Service recommends that parcel post, the least expensive shipping service, be sent out by Dec. 16 in order to ensure that gifts arrive under the tree in time.”

All those shoppers and shippers rushing their packages off will be offered “a stress-relieving crunch to help them make it through the day,” says Pretzel Crisps’ maker, which was named No. 3 on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies and No. 1 in the top businesses in the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania area.

The Snack Factory is a family-owned and -operated business started by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Warren and Sara Wilson, who patented the fat-free, cholesterol-free flat pretzel as a new vehicle for dips and spreads in addition to the traditional ways pretzels are enjoyed.

For more information, visit www.pretzelcrisps.com

Pretzels for Everyone!

September 16, 2008
Visitors per month:177,952
http://weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/urbanite/blog/

Pretzels for everyone!

For hungry and tired shoppers, help is on the way today. Dozens of Santas and elves will hit the streets to hand out over 45 thousand crunchy Pretzel Crisps. The free pretzel crisps will be available at Columbus Circle, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Herald Square and the R.A.F Post Office at 34th Street, starting at 9 a.m. Pretzel crisps come in varieties ranging from Everything to Buffalo Wing to Chocolate Covered Pretzel Crisps. Judging from how quickly we’re going through our office’s bags — they are a great holiday snack.

Santa Delivers Pretzel Crisps to NYC Pedestrians

December 10, 2008
Pretzel Crisps is all about giving this holiday season. The growing snack brand, a product of Snack Factory, Skillman, N.J., has hired two dozen Santas and their elves to hand out more than 45,000 crunchy snacks on Dec. 16 in New York City.

Pretzel Crisps, which first debuted three years ago, also is running new print ads playing up the pretzel's flat shape for holding sauces and dips. They appear in this month's O, The Oprah Magazine and People's Sexiest Man Alive issue. Subsequent ads will run in 2009 issues of Real Simple, Good Housekeeping and Every Day with Rachael Ray.

"We realized even though we've been growing strongly, we needed to get the word out," Milt Weinstock, who heads up Pretzel Crisps marketing at the privately held Snack Factory. Last April, Pretzel Crisps treated consumers to free samples of the snack while they waited to file their taxes outside six U.S. post offices in Manhattan.

"We've spent some money on advertising, but certainly not as much as the Frito-Lays and Rold Golds. We're like the Davids combating the snack giants, the Goliaths, and we've been pretty successful," Weinstock said, adding that volume often "shoots through the roof" after such events.

Pretzels are among the most popular snacks enjoyed by consumers. While sales plummeted by 5 percent during the low-carb period of 2003-04, the snack quickly bounced back once the fad was over. "People really want to eat these things, especially as they have a relatively decent health halo," said Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst at market research firm Mintel, Chicago.

The Snack Factory spent $500,000 advertising Pretzel Crisps in the U.S. in 2007 (excluding online), and $1.1 million through September of this year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

SCRAMBLING TO GET PRESENTS TO RELATIVES IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS?

Santa and his Elves Hit the Streets with Pretzel Crisps to Help
New Yorkers through Crunch Time!

FACT: Last year, UPS delivered more than 22 million packages on its peak-shipping day, which was December 19th. This year, the US Postal Service recommends that parcel post, the least expensive shipping service be sent out by December 16th in order to ensure that gifts arrive under the tree in time.

WHAT: Indeed, shopping for and shipping those last minute Yule gifts can be a daunting task, but help is on the way -- on Tuesday December 16th, dozens of Santa’s and his trusty helpers will hit the streets of NYC to hand out over 45 thousand crunchy Pretzel Crisps — providing consumers with a stress-relieving crunch to help them make it through the day!

WHO: More than two-dozen Santa’s and Elves, courtesy of The Snack Factory, makers of patented Pretzel Crisps - fat free, cholesterol free pretzel crackers.

WHEN: December 16, 2008, 7 AM- 1 PM

Locations:
o Columbus Circle – 60th & Broadway @ Trump Tower
o Times Square – 43rd / 7th Avenue
o Rock Center – 48th / 6th Avenue
o Herald Square – 34th / 7th Avenue
o R.A.F Post Office - 421 8th Avenue @ 34th Street

BACKGROUND: From the creators and former owners of New York Style Bagel Chip Co. comes Pretzel Crisps, a unique pretzel cracker. Family owned and operated by entrepreneurial husband and wife team, Warren and Sara Wilson, the Snack Factory is based in Princeton, NJ. For more information, visit www.pretzelcrisps.com.

Snack Maker Thrives During Crunch

November 27, 2008
Circulation: 316,280
Visitors per month: 1,428,080
View article here.


Sara Wilson decided one day in 1995 that the world needed a pretzel as flat as a cracker. The world didn't get one right away, because it took several years for someone to invent a machine to make an ironed-out pretzel.

Wilson and her husband, Warren, know something about flat snacks. During the 1980s, they created New York Style Bagel Chips, which the Princeton couple sold to Nabisco.
Their new company, The Snack Factory, is based in the Skillman section of Montgomery in Somerset County and has a plant in Wisconsin. It was named this year as the fastest-growing privately held company in the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania area by Inc. magazine.

The Snack Factory grew its sales to $42.1 million last year, up from $228,000 in 2004, according to the company. The company makes pretzel crisps that are baked, have no trans fat or cholesterol and can be stacked with toppings such as peanut butter, cream cheese or shrimp.

The small company is tapping into consumer concerns about calories, cholesterol and fat in their food while they share snacks with friends and family during holiday celebrations and sporting events.

Sara Wilson talked about her business with The Star-Ledger during a recent interview:
How big is the pretzel industry? We consider ourselves a pretzel cracker, not a pretzel. The pretzel industry is about $1 billion at retail, but our category is really being defined by us. It is an emerging category and, for now, we are the leader.

Who are your competitors? Premium, upscale snacks sold in the deli area.

How do you get your snacking ideas? Warren put himself through college selling funnel cakes from his grandmother's recipe. I was scooping ice cream at the local mall when we met. Immediately, we started sharing business ideas.

Why make a pretzel cracker? More than 13 years ago, we were producing a hollow and airy "Pretzel Puff." While I was watching the snacks come off the production line, the "aha" moment hit. Instead of the puffy pretzel, why not make the thinnest possible pretzel cracker in the shape of a traditional pretzel? This would result in a thin, extra crispy pretzel cracker unlike anything that existed in the marketplace. I always loved the flavor profile and health attributes of pretzels, but they were never elegant or versatile enough.

Why was it so difficult to find someone to make a machine to make the pretzels? This was a brand new concept that was never done before. But from the time I had the idea, we saw the potential for a pretzel that was also a cracker. A snack food that was stackable, snackable, dippable -- basically upscale and versatile.

What did you learn from the bagel chips business before starting this one? We learned that if you deliver a great, unique product and you get into a section of the store that is a little bit of your own -- the deli in our case -- and get it to the right people you'll have great response. We focused on a premium package, learned a formula and developed relationships that have really helped with making Pretzel Crisps such a success.

How much did you borrow to start the business? All I can tell you is that the investment has paid off, and was well worth it.

What's the next step for you? We've got a pipeline of new products we've just started to launch -- peanut butter, dark chocolate flavors and new Ciabatta Crisps. We're having so much fun doing this that we don't have time to think about selling.