Missouri Business Fall 2018

Some historians call the pretzel the world’s oldest snack food. Though origin stories vary,
one popular legend has it that in the early 600s, an Italian monk created the pretzel out
of leftover dough scraps as a reward for children who had memorized their prayers.
paper bags, traditional twists couldn’t
be easily displayed. But sticks were
tall enough to peek over a bag’s edge,
offering a tempting glimpse of the goods
inside.
Pretzel-wrapped sausages and pretzel
bun sandwiches are other big sellers at
the shop. Patrons can also buy specialty
dips and mustards, and they can
custom-order party pretzels that spell
out words and dates. St. Louis grocery
stores carry Gus’ pretzels in the frozen
food section as well.
Koebbe said customers often choose
pretzels as fundraiser sellers, wedding
reception snacks, and gifts to bring to
friends or to business meetings.
“A lot of salesmen come and take
them as treats for their clients instead
of a doughnut or something,” he said.
“It’s just something different to take to
people.”
Some historians call the pretzel the
world’s oldest snack food. Though origin
stories vary, one popular legend has it
that in the early 600s, an Italian monk
created the pretzel out of leftover dough
scraps as a reward for children who had
memorized their prayers. The figureeight
shape was meant to resemble a
child’s arms crossed in prayer.
The name was derived from the Latin
“bracellae,” which means “little arms,”
or “pretiolas,” meaning “little rewards.”
As the food spread across Europe, it
evolved into the “bretzel,” or “pretzel.”
German immigrants brought
the pretzel to America, but the first
commercial pretzel shop didn’t appear
until 1861. Thanks to the prominent
German culture in St. Louis, pretzel
bakeries were popping up all over the
area by the 1900s.
Gus’ Pretzel Shop had its start in 1920
when the Koebbes’ grandfather Frank
Ramsperger began making pretzels in
his basement to support his family after
he suffered a work injury as a riveter. Gus
Koebbe Sr. married into the family and
later became the bakery owner in 1952.
He and his wife, Marcella, ran the shop
with their seven children, who helped
out when they weren’t in school.
In early years, the family business
scored a prime location for plenty of
customer traffic.
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