Brad Smith’s love for Tell City Pretzels is limitless. When his wife, Sandy, couldn’t find the salty snack anymore, the Jasper, Indiana, couple bought the brand in 2009. For the next 13 years, Brad commuted to Tell City six days a week to run the operation. “There’s just nothing out there like it,” he says. “It’s crunchy and hard, and I like that.”
Swiss immigrant Casper Gloor founded the Tell City business in 1858. Since owning the operation, the Smiths have integrated automation, added hard pretzel flavors, and debuted soft pretzels. The pair also relocated the business to Jasper in 2022, with Sandy joining in after retiring from Kimball Electronics.
The original Tell City hard pretzels come in flavors like honey barbecue and sharp cheddar and remain the company’s top-selling product. In 2018, the Smiths purchased a pretzel twister to increase production. “We now say they’re handcrafted instead of hand-twisted because we touch and shape each and every one of them,” Sandy says.
Tim Flick, owner of Oink Inc Smokehouse and Catering in Jasper, started serving soft Tell City Pretzel Sticks from his food trucks because the item was a quick fix. “Then we realized we could easily do this as well in the restaurants,” he says. “Now, it’s one of our top appetizers.”
Tell City hard pretzels are sold at regional grocery stores such as Schnucks and Holiday Foods, in some convenience stores, and online. “We’re in a good spot right now,” Brad says. “With our current infrastructure, between what we’ve invested and the number of employees, we’ve got a lot of room for capacity.”
Did You Know?
• One of the Smiths’ first steps after buying Tell City Pretzels was to trademark the name because, despite being in business since 1858, that hadn’t been done yet.
• The website for orders and inquiries is singular — tellcitypretzel.com — because the plural form was already taken.
• Abbe Gloor, a relative of founder Casper Gloor, once ordered some Tell City Pretzels online and sent a note to the Smiths saying,“They all arrived safe and sound and were soon devoured!”
