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Unique Pretzel Bakery
LVB Staff//March 9, 2026//
Unique Snacks, formerly Unique Pretzel Bakery, is a sixth-generation family-owned snack manufacturer based at 215 East Bellevue Avenue in Reading, producing its signature Splits, Pretzel Shells, Sourdough Craft Beer Pretzel Rings, and sprouted grain varieties — all Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Vegan, and made without preservatives or artificial ingredients. Justin Spannuth serves as vice president and COO; his brother William (Bill) Spannuth is vice president and CFO. The company employs approximately 85 people.
The Spannuth family had been baking hard and soft pretzels since the late 1800s. In 1921, Paul Spannuth formally trademarked the “Unique” name and started production in a small garage tucked in a half-alley in Reading. “The family business grew out of increased demand for the small batch pretzels Paul Spannuth was hand baking as he understood the importance of taking time to create a better product,” the company stated. The bakery’s most beloved product — the Split pretzel — emerged accidentally in the late 1950s when an over-proofed pretzel burst open in the oven, and customers insisted on more.
Justin Spannuth joined at 18 in 1999, when the company had 17 employees. He and Bill purchased the business from other family members in 2004. Four years later, facing closure during the 2008 economic crisis, they rebranded, increased package size from 8 to 11 ounces, and raised the price to $2.49 — a counterintuitive bet that doubled the company’s size. Pretzel Shells launched in late 2010 and became the top-selling SKU within a year. By 2012–2014, the company had built a 75,000-square-foot production facility. A 2019–2020 rebrand to “Unique Snacks” coincided with a 575% surge in Amazon sales and doubled direct-to-consumer revenue.
Local sourcing anchors both operations and identity: flour comes from a miller 15 minutes away, and roughly half the grain is Pennsylvania-grown. “Our most expensive ingredient is time,” the company has said — a principle that has guided six generations of Spannuth bakers.
