|
|
Wege Pretzel Company located
in Hanover, PA, is one of the oldest and respected names in the pretzel
baking industry. Wege (pronounced wig'gie) is the name of a family that
began baking breads and rolls during the late 1800's. A German
immigrant baker who was working his way across the country went to work
for Wege Pretzel Company during the early 1920's. While employed, he taught the Wege Family an old German recipe for making a large
Sourdough Hard Pretzel, the one for which Wege is now famous. |
 |
|
The
pretzel was well accepted, sales continued to increase and over time
the Wege Family discontinued the production of breads and rolls in
order to concentrate their efforts on the production of the Sourdough Hard Pretzel.
Since
that time, Wege has expanded the physical plant, production facilities,
and variety of pretzels available, as well as the geographic area in
which they are sold. This has been accomplished without compromising
the quality for which Wege is famous.
|
 On
March 31, 1976, Wege broke ground on a
25,000 square foot expansion bringing the
total to 110,100 square feet. Today's
facility uses old fashioned methods and
today's technology to produce the finest
pretzels in the world. |
|
| Wege's variety of pretzels
now includes whole wheat varieties,
flavored, all natural, organic, and Kosher
delicacies. Wege is also the leader in
co-pack and private label for high
quality customers. You can buy
cheaper pretzels but we believe in only the
finest. Wege also manufacturers the original
"Poker Pretzel" found throughout the United
States. |
 |
|
Pretzels...
The Worlds Oldest Snack
Historians
claim the first pretzels were made back in 610 A.D., when monks in
southern France offered them as a reward to children for learning their
prayers. Originally called "pretiola" (little reward), the name evolved
into "bretzel" when the baked snack became popular in Austria and
Germany. It was the immigrants from these countries who brought the
"bretzel" to our shores during the 1800's, later becoming known as the
"pretzel".
Pennsylvania was the first state to
establish a commercial pretzel bakery
and Wege led the charge with hand
twisting. The modern
age of pretzel making began in 1935 when the Reading Pretzel Machinery
Company first introduced the automatic pretzel twisting machine. Prior
to that, most commercial pretzels were actually shaped by a
cracker-cutting machine, then placed on baking pans and put into the
baking ovens by hand. This innovation made pretzels available to people
in all parts of the country, and helped the fledgling industry grow...
Source: Snack Food Association
|
|
