"Together Talks" feature # 27: OMG! Pretzels presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on OMG! Pretzels
Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS was joined by Stephanie Kriebel, Co-Founder and Tali Benjamin, Chief Content Creator, of OMG! Pretzels. OMG! Pretzels creates an elevated snacking experience with their “ridiculously delicious” gourmet flavored sourdough pretzel nuggets. As a women and family-owned business, OMG! Pretzels prides themselves on using only premium ingredients and keeping their products 100% made in America. There are no pretzel nuggets on the market quite like OMG! Pretzels as each pretzel bursts with unbelievable crunch and flavor. Recognized as an award-winning product with strong consumer satisfaction, these pretzels are a must-have in every retail location. Mother/daughter partners, Lynn and Stephanie Kriebel, founded OMG! Pretzels in 2014 after years and countless requests from friends and family to make their gourmet pretzels available for sale. The company is named “OMG! Pretzels” because Once you pop one in your mouth, OMG! comes popping out! Our eight bold and innovative flavors include: Garlic, Sweet and Salty, Sweet & Spicy, Cheddar Jalapeno, Chesapeake Bay, Sweet Chili, Lemon Pepper, and Salty Butterscotch OMG! Pretzels partners with local and national merchants to provide these mouthwatering snacks to retailers, customers, family, and friends. Their partners are grocers, grocery stores, supermarkets, fine gifts, fine foods, gourmet foods, convenience stores, delis, sandwich shops, gift baskets, beer distributors, liquor stores, and more.
The Start
Stephanie and Lynn started out in Lynn's kitchen. With a traditional single oven, Lynn would make 2 pans at a time. The first two years were strictly two flavors, Garlic and Sweet & Salty. By year 3, they realized a move to a commercial kitchen was required to meet the demand for OMG! Pretzels. The pretzel-making team was comprised of Lynn’s retired friends from church who worked on a part-time basis. After a few years with this set up, the company had once again outgrown their space and partnered with their first copacker.
This move allowed OMG! Pretzels to transform from a regional company to a national company. Being able to scale was a huge success for the duo, but they also understood that presented new challenges. The amount of raw materials they now had to source, being required to manage all of that, and ultimately figuring out the logistics of getting their products into the hands of their retail partners.
The Now
Stephanie told us that one of the instrumental strategic moves was partnering with FAIRE wholesale marketplace online. This decision helped with their national brand exposure in 2020. The products are sold mainly at independent retailers, specialty boutiques, specialty groceries, family-owned groceries, and small chains throughout the US including Alaska and Hawaii. This segment accounts for about 90% of their sales with the remaining 10% courtesy of DTC on their own website and Amazon.
The company stressed the importance of scaling strategically. Stephanie told us that the next goal is to become an international brand. However, it is crucial to value their partnerships with the right retailers. Being a premium brand with a gourmet product means they want to have the right shelf space, the right fit, the right appeal to consumers. Despite the strategic approach from the team at OMG! Pretzels it has not stopped them from growing over and over again.
The OMG! Pretzel's Experience
We asked Stephanie and Tali to describe what their product stands for, and both told us "It is part of your lifestyle. It is natural to pull out our pretzels when hosting, but the best thing we feature on top of unbelievable taste is sharing those moments with those you love in your life. Being able to enjoy the product and the moment is the perfect formula for us." The company even goes above and beyond and sends out recipes and pairings that go with their 8 bold flavors. Tali jumped in here as she is the resident "foodie" of the team. "A few mornings ago my breakfast consisted of pretzels and marinara sauce, trying out a new combo for our community!" We all joked it doesn't hurt getting to enjoy delicious tasting products for the sake of creating new recipes and pairings for the community :)
We were curious as to what makes OMG! Pretzels unique. On top of being the only seasoned sourdough pretzel in the market, the crunch and bold flavors were the first two answers, but also the "duality" as Tali told us. "Lemon Pepper is my favorite and at first you get the sweet from the citrus and then with each bite the pepper comes in. The intensity amplifies and each bite is layered flavor." Quality is a staple of this company and it goes back to when the products were made prior to the business even being created.
These are family recipes. As Stephanie was clear to point out, "we are very generous with the seasoning." These are a treat to maximize the amount of flavor with each nugget, and are gourmet indeed. Stephanie also mentioned that the company strives on innovation, but not only with the product and flavors.
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
The Culture
Not only is OMG! Pretzels a women-owned business, it is staffed with a team of fractional consultants across the U.S., who are also all women-owned businesses, all working remotely, which shows their commitment to growing the company. As we recently alluded to, innovation is one of the company's strengths. Stephanie told us the team does a great job of generating ideas and excitement and then building on it by not only creating but sustaining momentum. The execution was attributed to the cohesiveness of the team. Tali told us, "It is the ability to have creative freedom. We bounce ideas off of each other and experiment, we see what works, what doesn't and change our approach. But having the platform and belief to not only give but try our ideas is really special."
The company recently began seasonal entertaining guides. The first was around the holiday season and then another one just released for spring. The goal is to provide more inclusivity for their community, with new fun ways to experience the product. Both Stephanie and Tali told us how important their community is and the organic content from their community has had a huge impact on the business continuing to grow.
OMG! Pretzels believes in giving back as they continually donate pretzels to their local police and fire departments, and support Laurel House, a local domestic violence shelter for women.
One thing that was very apparent in our chat was how much the team cares. Everyone is invested. It starts at the top with Stephanie, and her reasoning was really profound. "I'm a serial entrepreneur, have owned four successful businesses and have held over 80 jobs in my life, but this industry (CPG) has been the most challenging. Despite the challenges, one of the most important things is caring about our people. I'm insistent on making sure there is ample time for vacation and mental health. Our inclusive culture is one of openness and communication. While we all have the one main goal to grow the company we make sure we thrive by disconnecting. OMG! Pretzels is very supportive in supporting time off, being and remaining refreshed."
What is next?
The company is still working hard to expand the brand of OMG! Pretzels. TThey are in the works of onboarding a new copacker which is SQF Level 2 certified. They will have unlimited capacity which is just another rung they have managed to climb in this business. They also have worked diligently on some rebranding, a new bag size, and are coming out with a new flavor.
One of their biggest advancements is that 7 of the 9 flavors will be non-GMO. Stephanie told us this was in preparation for the new markets they plan to advance into. We were curious if they were worried about the taste, texture, etc changing. "We aren't and believe it or not the blends taste even better. It takes an incredible experience and just elevates it to a new level." WATCH OUT!
They are working to get into more doors for 2023. Stephanie told us that they had an "aha moment" at the Philadelphia Gift Show earlier this year. "Our target audience we found attend these shows, so we have another few similar to this we are going to exhibit at and hopefully it brings us to another level." She also told us being a member of the WBENC network provides them with opportunities to get in front of the right type of partners.
The company has been featured prominently so far including Philly Live, Culinary TV, On The Menu, and World's Greatest.
The Joy
We ended our chat with Stephanie and Tali by asking if they had a favorite moment about the journey of OMG! Pretzels and Tali started talking about the aforementioned World's Greatest video. "We were doing the video shoot to be featured for World's Greatest and were using different people. Lynn's husband (Stephanie's Dad) was part of the process and to just see his face...the pride and joy he had on it watching what his wife and daughter have created. It was...IS a whole family experience and it was just beautiful."
Not surprisingly, Stephanie's moment also centered around family. "I'm so proud of the fact that my mom took the leap. She is a great matriarch of the business. So proud of the product she made that got us to where we are today. My goal is to take the business as far as we can while she is still here with us. I believe this will be the icing on her "life" cake."
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
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Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
We want to thank both Stephanie and Tali for their gracious time and stories of OMG! Pretzels. This wonderful family start-up turned family business was a joy to learn about.
You can keep up to date with OMG! Pretzels courtesy of their social media below!
A gracious thank you to OMG! Pretzels for being featured by KLS for this edition of "Together Talks".
Klimson Logistics Solutions - OMG! Pretzels with Stephanie Kreibel and Tali Benjamin feature # 27 of Together Talks
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign "Together Talks" if you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands for freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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