Rick Wetzel and Bill Phelps: The Founders of Wetzel’s Pretzels
Original Content: Business Upside Bill Phelps and Rick Wetzel were employed with Nestle when the idea for Wetzel’s Pretzels came to their mind. Both of them were on a business tour while Rick told Bill about a concept borne by his wife. The concept was to manufacture large and soft pretzels for marketing at the mall. That very night, they took their seats at a pub and chalked out their business strategy on a paper towel. Rick Wetzel sold off his Harley Davidson motorcycle to aid in accumulating funds for the entrant business venture that they began in their free time. They also introduced a partner to assist in making the cooking formula in Phelps’ Kitchen. At the time to start their first outlet, Wetzel and Phelps convinced the proprietor of a shopping mall to visit their house and taste their conception. The proprietor liked it very much and was ready to let out Wetzel’s Pretzels its first outlet. This happened way back in 19