Product of Washington State

Created by Debbie Lindsay, It's all About the Pretzels are produced in Moxee, Washington and are an original Pacific Northwest treat.

Testimonials

I never would have used the word “addicted” in reference to pretzels but that’s the word my customers use every time they come back to pick up another bag. Thanks for a great product!

Ted
Deep Sea Deli, Yakima

We have placed the spiced pretzels from "It's all about Pretzels" when we opened our doors for the season a few months ago. On a per SKU basis it must be our best selling single item. We go through approximately 20 per week and our real season for tourists has yet to begin. All we have to do is sample and it's all she wrote. I have actually seen customers walk across our floor to hand one to a spouse or friend with comments like "you've got to try this," or "you've never tasted anything like this before." I would say we sell a bag at $6.50 for every fourth person that tries the sample. Enjoy !

Jim Russi
Piety Flats Winery, Wapato

Recent article from the Yakima Business Times

It’s All About The Pretzels a Hit At Wineries, Breweries
By Carrie Snider

You may have seen her white van around town driving to her next wine event, rushing to make more product, or delivering her creation to vendors around town.

This lady never sleeps. That’s because now, It’s All About The Pretzels.

Debra Lindsay hadn’t planned on changing jobs at this stage in life. In fact, she loved what she was doing before. But as it happened, everything fell into place and she couldn’t be happier.

“I’m going to be making pretzels until they come out of my ears,” she said.

It all started years ago. Lindsay had taken regular pretzels and put her own twist on them – a secret concoction of seasonings and special methods to make them taste just right. Friends and family asked for them, and eventually she offered them as snacks at her daughter Michaela and her husband Greg’s business, Masset Winery in Wapato.

That’s where they really took off, she explained. They seemed a perfect pair for wine tasting, and at her daughters urging, she branched off and started It’s All About The Pretzels.

“Once you taste them, you buy them,” explained Lindsay. “They look like any other pretzel. People always ask, ‘are they dipped in chocolate?’ Pretzel dipping is overdone. I do something very different with my pretzels.”

So, what is the difference? The taste is hard to describe. With a hint of mustard, they also have a buttery and onion flavor. And it’s true – you can’t just have one. Some customers swear there is an addictive substance in them.

“One of my regulars says, ‘Ok, where are my crack pretzels?’” she said.

It’s All About The Pretzels are available at various places in the Valley, including Masset Winery, The Beer Shoppe, Deep Sea Deli, The Flower Garden, Washington Fruit Place and Gift Shop, Claar Cellars, and Fiddlesticks.

She also sells at various places around the state and plans to market at different events and fairs, including the retail show Victorian Country Christmas in Puyallup. For that she is frantically making 1,500 bags of pretzels and renting a U-haul to transport bags to the event.

In addition, her pretzels were also recently picked up at the Metropolitan Club in San Francisco.

It seems her pretzels are the perfect pair with the gourmet crowd. She had her labeling done focused on that market. But the pretzels also appeal to just about anyone – especially children.

“It’s so cool to go into a store see my pretzels there. At the fair, I saw a gentleman eating a bag of my pretzels. So I asked him where he got them. He went on and on about how wonderful they were. I told him that I was the ‘pretzel lady.’ You would have thought I was a celebrity.”

Lindsay describes typical pretzels as “taking a bite off a cardboard box.” So when people tell her they don’t like pretzels, she understands, but coaxes them into trying hers. Most can’t believe the taste. They’re also pretty healthy. For 18 pretzels, they contain 4 grams of fat, 142 calories, and less than a gram of saturated fat.

Lindsay admitted she doesn’t mind being called the pretzel lady. It’s hard work making the pretzels, however. Using the kitchen at the former YWCA, she can make pretzels there about two to three full days per week, seasoning and baking and cooling. Later they also package and label them by hand.

Ideally, she would like to invest in a house with adequate kitchen facilities for convenience and so she can bump up production and eventually hire people. She’s very happy with the growth so far and hopes to see it continue.
“This job allows me the freedom to pick and choose what I do. I am able to take personal time during the day. Most people don’t get to just leave work when they want.”

Through the process she has learned a lot about how to run a small business. She calls herself “tenacious” and believes that’s how she has been able to thrive. “The process needs to be easier somehow for people to start up businesses. When I started I didn’t know who to go to for my bags, labeling, etc. You can’t be bashful, either. My customers have been my best selling people. I ask them to market for me.”

It took her a few years of doing it all part time, but now full time and busy, she realized how blessed she has been: she has never taken out a loan and it continues to pay out for itself.

“I am confident I made the right decision in starting It’s All About The Pretzels.”

For more information, visit www.pretzellady.com.

Read more valley news at the Yakima Valley Business Times