Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - Lititz, PA

The pretzel, one of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff's favorite foods to consume with beer, is believed to have existed for 1400 years. The pretzel was first made in 610 AD by a monk in France who wanted to provide a treat for children who memorized their bible verses. In 1861, Julius Sturgis opened the first pretzel bakery in the United States. Legend has it that he received his pretzel recipe 11 years previous in 1850 when he and his family took in a hobo and fed him at the family dinner table. Though unable to obtain a job at the Sturgis bakery, the hobo was moved by Sturgis's kindness and gave him a pretzel recipe which the Sturgis family has continued to use almost 160 years later. Julius Sturgis also played a role in the invention of the hard pretzel when one of the Sturgis bakers accidentally baked a batch of pretzels twice. Julius's grandson Marriott 'Tom' Sturgis later moved with his family to Reading, PA where Tom opened Sturgis Brothers Pretzels which would later become Tom Sturgis Pretzels. Reading, the birthplace of Pics of Me in Front Stuff, would later become known as the the Pretzel Capital of the World.

Despite my affinity for pretzels and my birthplace being the Pretzel Capital of the World, I had never visited a pretzel factory before. Since Pics of Me in Front of Stuff had visited a couple breweries (Yuengling and Brooklyn), it seemed only fitting that I visit a pretzel factory since they go so well together. So on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Pics of Me in Front of Stuff visited and toured the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery in Lititz, PA. The first event on the agenda was learning how to twist a pretzel. It is a rather simple process and fortunately it was easy enough for me to earn my pretzel twister's diploma. This certficate will likely end up somewhere near my B.S. and M.S. diplomas....wherever they might be.


Carol the Tour Guide, our pretzel twisting professor, then showed us around the factory including some of Julius's original equipment. Below is the flower chute Julius used to make pretzel dough.

Further into the factory, actually right next to Julius Sturgis's old tools, were Julius Sturgis's old ovens. No, that is not the ghost of Julius standing in front of them. Dr. Bob only looks like a large German man, he is actually from Pennsylvania.

In another corner of the bakery is a pretzel twisting machine. Though more modern than most of the factory, the machine actually dates to the 1950s.

However, the machine was only for display. The pretzels at the Julius Sturgis bakery were made by hand by young men like Vincent below. Though only a summer job, he makes approximately 9000000x more per hour than the average pretzel baker originally made in the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery.

Naturally, on the way out Pics of Me in Front Stuff had to live up to its name. Here we are behind a giant pretzel in front of the bakery. We are behind the pretzel, but still in front of the bakery.

These pretzels were making me thirsty!