The Moving Story Behind the Creation of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels

Auntie Anne’s® was born out of Anne Beiler’s desire to turn trauma into hope. The founder is now on a mission to inspire people to boldly tell their stories.

Anne Beiler grew Auntie Anne’s into one of the world’s biggest international food chains despite having no business background or formal education beyond eighth grade. Courtesy of Anne Beiler

“Auntie Anne’s is a 21st-century miracle,” declared Anne Beiler, the founder of international soft pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s. Beiler called her business miraculous not for its speed of growth, nor its popular pretzel recipe, but for how it gave hope to others.

Auntie Anne’s was founded out of Beiler and her husband’s personal grief and despair. Through their healing process, they realized they wanted to help other couples overcome their hurdles by providing free counseling services. Auntie Anne’s was created in 1988 to fund that goal. “The reality of living out our vision has been surprising, stunning, and unbelievable,” Beiler said.