Pretzel Love
By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper
There is no way to describe Matt Brown as anything but a hard-working, powerhouse of energy and ideas, and a true entrepreneur. Matt would shrug off such a description because he would much rather talk about pretzels, which are his passion.
It is fortunate that Matt loves to make pretzels because it is his job as the owner/operator of Seacoast Pretzel Company. On any given day, he works on new pretzel recipes and ways to bring more tasty pretzel goodness to his avid customers.
You might say Matt is in love with pretzels because it is his life’s work. If you find yourself in downtown Wolfeboro on a summer’s day, you could see customers at the take-out window of Seacoast Pretzel enjoying a pretzel or bagel and a refreshing lemonade.
On the other side of the window, Matt and one of his employees would be busy filling orders and offering such pretzels (all made by Matt) as the Classic Soft Pretzel, Everything Soft Pretzel, Garlic Parm Soft Pretzel, or Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzel. Each pretzel comes with a choice of sauce or dip (at no extra charge), with flavors in honey mustard, pub mustard, cheese sauce, or vanilla icing.
Matt comments, “Our soft pretzels are made from the finest ingredients with no preservatives added. We use unbleached King Arthur flour, sourced locally. Our pretzels are naturally dairy-free and processed in a nut-free kitchen and made in small batches for the best quality.”
Those who love pretzels know the real thing when they taste it, and the best are Bavarian Pretzels. Matt worked hard to create a pretzel that met those standards, and he says, “Our handmade Bavarian Soft Pretzels are hand-rolled and twisted and are done the authentic and traditional way, dipped in food-safe lye. It gives the texture of a soft-on-the-inside, crisp, hard exterior, mahogany color, and a distinct pretzel flavor.”
Add to this a refreshing lemonade, also handmade from Matt’s own recipe with added flavors from honest-to-goodness, real fruit such as strawberries or blueberries (Matt says picking blueberries is his hobby and he hand-picks most of the berries used in his lemonade) for a cold, satisfying drink. All lemonades are made with real fruit purees in flavors including Blissful Blueberry, Lucky Lime, Lovely Lavender, Snazzy Strawberry and Classic Lemon.
This is the fifth year for Seacoast Pretzel’s Wolfeboro location, and the business just keeps growing, probably because Matt is open to making and bringing new things to his customers, such as adding bagels as well.
“I went to a lot of breweries in the past and they always had pretzels along with the beer,” Matt says. “I saw an opportunity to make pretzels and experimented on my own. In my mother’s kitchen, I created my own recipe.”
Matt learned a lot about how to make a good pretzel, and he explains that some pretzels you will find on the market are too soft, almost like bread dough. He was careful to avoid that, and his customers say his pretzels taste the way they should, like a traditional Bavarian pretzel. The handmade Seacoast Pretzels have a soft-on-the-inside texture and a crispy outside.
After perfecting his recipe, Matt began a wholesale pretzel business in Rollinsford, New Hampshire. In addition, he soon was operating two food trucks that specialize in pretzels and also feature lemonade on the list of offerings. This helped him expand the business into weddings, parties, corporate events, proms, and other custom orders.
The business was off and running and when he discovered a nice little shop space available at 6 Central Avenue in downtown Wolfeboro, it seemed a natural thing to open at that location. It has been a resounding success with the heavy traffic of locals and vacationers in downtown Wolfeboro during the warm weather months. What could be better than stopping by Seacoast Pretzel Company to enjoy the pretzels, bagels, and lemonade?
The Wolfeboro location is a take-out window, and customers rave about the warm, delicious pretzels and return often during the summer for more. Matt was a vendor at a local farmers market for a time, so he is familiar with Wolfeboro and knows it to be a fun, busy place every summer. “My busiest time is Fourth of July weekend,” he adds.
When making the pretzels at his Rollinsford location and in the Wolfeboro shop, Matt comments that he has never changed his original recipe and that the pretzels are all dairy-, nut-, and soy-free. “I make them on site, and we do between 600 and 900 pretzels a week in Wolfeboro in the summer.”
When asked what makes pretzels so special and popular with his customers, Matt answers, “I think a pretzel is memory-evoking. Our older customers remember getting a good pretzel at a ball game or some other place when they were kids. Their grandchildren may have never had a warm pretzel before, but when they taste one (the Cinnamon Sugar is a kid favorite), they love them.
“We also offer lemonade and iced tea,” Matt adds. New this year will be Hibiscus Lemonade, an unusual flavor which underscores Matt’s ability to think of new things to please his customers.
“We added bagels to the menu last year,” Matt says. “I make Plain, Everything, Dill Pickle, Sweet and Sesame, and Asiago bagels. We even do special flavors from time to time, such as Oreo and Fruity Pebbles bagels.”
Added to the Rollinsford wholesale location and the Wolfeboro shop, the two food trucks can be seen here and there, such as at Sandwich Fair, at beer festivals, Oktoberfest events, and, as Matt says, “a lot of weddings.”
On any given weekend, Matt can get calls from customers holding a wedding or parties. Weddings, in particular, have become popular. Guests love to get a warm pretzel, fresh-squeezed lemonade, fresh brewed iced tea, dips and sauces, and hot beverages from the food truck.
Seacoast Pretzel Company will be open for business through the summer. If you are hankering for a freshly made, warm pretzel (or bagel) and/or a refreshing lemonade, make your way to Central Avenue. If you are lucky, Matt will be there making pretzels and, of course, using his entrepreneurial skills to dream up new things to add to his already busy business.
Call 603-866-9150 or visit seacoastpretzelcompany.com.