It doesn’t matter if they’re hard, soft, twists, braids, bites, nuggets, knots, seasoned or stuffed with everything from peanut butter to pizza fillings and jalapeño cheddar jack cheese.
The pretzel category is becoming an enduring movement that’s attracting a greater investment by the popular players who are redefining the market.
“Pretzel dough can be made into various shapes, and that evolution seems to be never-ending,” said Ken Johnson, president, Gemini Bakery Equipment.
“The traditional, twisted pretzel shape — both with continuous diameter and the European version with a wider belly in the middle — along with sticks, twists and buns — seems to be the most popular,” he added. “We are seeing a recent trend in the production of pretzel nuggets, pizza shells and other niche items that one would not think of as a mainstream pretzel product.”
Marketing gurus and formulators, he added, have learned how to ‘pretzelize’ many new products.
Moreover, new applications of technology have transformed what was a staid market into a dynamic, premium category.
For some bakeries, the challenge involves keeping up with the burgeoning consumer demand for these products.
“Automated makeup, lye application, cutting and scoring technology can be added to existing processes to help create new products such as sticks, buns, twists and other shapes,” Johnson observed. “Production lines are getting wider and faster to produce these items in higher volumes.”
In the snack market, pretzel producers are stealing a page — and often copying the flavors — from the potato and tortilla chip categories to bolster impulse sales.
“The biggest trends we’re seeing is how to pack a punch with new flavors in a familiar format like pretzels,” pointed out Nico Roesler, North American pretzel and snack equipment sales manager, Reading Bakery Systems (RBS).
“Seasonings are what are driving this trend as snack-makers look to bring new spicy, sweet and savory flavor combinations to the market,” he continued. “Additionally, snack makers are bringing flavors to the forefront by creating peanut butter- or chocolate-filled pretzels. I think we’ve only seen the beginning of filling innovations.”
In the baked goods arena, pretzels are among the fastest-growing varieties of buns and rolls, competing for premium consumer dollars along with their brioche, sourdough and Hawaiian-style counterparts.
Such growth is not only in the US, but internationally as well.
“The global pretzel market is growing at a steady rate of more than 3% per year,” said Stefan Praller, senior director, customer experience of Fritsch, a Multivac Group company. “Healthier snack options drive the demand for pretzels as they are perceived as healthier compared to other options. Plus, snacking itself is a huge trend caused by rising urbanization and busier lifestyles.
Manufacturers are constantly innovating to cater to different consumer preferences. This includes the introduction of new flavors, shapes and textures to appeal to different tastes.”
Pretzels are also competing in the grab-and-go market with sticks, bites and nuggets. Some bakeries are rolling out items like pretzel bagels to bring the category to new eating occasions, noted Felix Pang, robotic solutions specialist, ABI Ltd.
“Once perceived as a niche product, pretzels have transitioned into a mainstream commodity within the snacking and foodservice sectors over the years,” he said. “Consumers have embraced pretzels as a healthier alternative to sugary treats, prompting manufacturers to respond to the growing demand by enhancing production capabilities. This has involved the development of equipment capable of producing high-quality pretzels on an industrial scale.”
With processing innovation and more versatile technology, bakers and snack makers are limited only by their imagination. It’s as if in today’s market, almost anything goes when it comes to redefining the pretzel category.
This article is an excerpt from the June 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Pretzel Processing, click here.
