Snack brands — once relegated to food courts and airports — are evolving to meet the news of the modern consumer. Kim Freer, who became the chief marketing officer of Pasadena, Calif.-based Wetzel’s Pretzels in September, wants to bring the brand’s iconic pretzel snacks and lemonades out of the mall and into people’s homes. Food trucks, delivery/takeout, and retail locations are the future of snacking, she says.
“We’re on a mission to bring the pretzels to the people,” Freer said in an interview with Nation’s Restaurant News. “Before, the snack was a treat at the end of a retail shift or at the end of a shopping trip […] But how do we make the transition to a digital food court or become more of a destination?”
Freer said her primary goal is to improve the digital infrastructure of the brand so people can go out of their way to order Wetzel’s from an app on their phone, or drive into town, not just if they happen to see the brand during a mall shopping spree.
“There are many opportunities to deliver handheld happiness to our guests,” she said. “We continue to lean into this idea of accessibility. […] This flexibility of format has allowed us to go into new areas like tourist locations, convenience stores, Walmart and food trucks as well.”
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