Whether by accident or by design, Bluffton is now the pretzel capital of Indiana. In 1954 as the story goes, two men from Baltimore, Maryland set out for the Midwest in search of the perfect spot for the first twisted pretzels west of Pennsylvania. A Midwest location was desired for distribution purposes in order to be centrally located between several large cities. Traveling from Decatur to Huntington, car trouble ensued. Checking the map and discovering Bluffton only a few miles south of U.S. 224, the two soon found themselves in Lawrence Goodin's garage on West Market Street in conversation with the civic minded mechanic, the two men explained their mission and were soon led to Paul Bender, then president of the Chamber of Commerce. He directed the two entrepreneurs to the the vacant Farnsworth building, once known as the Patton McCray building which was located on West Washington Street just west of where Cline Lumber currently stands. The mix of building location, and cooperative people must have impressed the two men because they chose to settle there and establish the Duchess Pretzel Corporation. One of those men was President of the company, Frank Elzy, and the other, Vice President and Sales Manager, Lorin L. Mann, Sr. (Bill Mann's father).

In 1962, Duchess merged with Bachman Foods of Reading, Pennsylvania. Bill Mann remained while Bill Huggins subsequently parted the company to pursue other business ventures. Suddenly, and from an undetermined cause, fire swept the old 45,000 square foot building at 5:00 am on January 2, 1969 leveling it in 60 minutes. Soon after, the parent company decided to rebuild in the Bluffton area. On April 1, 1969, ground was broken for the new plant on the north edge of town. On September 5, 1970, the new facility constructed by James Jackson Company and in full operation hosted an open house for Wells county. Visitors touring the $3 million, 75,000 square foot plant were impressed by the new facility lauded as the most automated and sanitary bakery in the country at the time. Bachman operated in its new location until the parent company decided to close its Bluffton plant on the fall of 1978.

At that point, Bill Mann, who had been plant manager for several years, faced major career decisions. At 42 years of age with three children still at home, did he move to Bachman's Reading location, secure in a managerial position, or knowing the void left by Bachman's exit from the Midwest, did he endeavor to capitalize on the many customers left without service. In the fall of 1978, with the instrumental return of William Huggins, the two formed a partnership in Pretzels Incorporated. The decision had been made. One 50 foot oven was assembled in a 12,000 square foot warehouse in Jasun Park at the south edge of town. With a handful of employees including Lu Ann Garton and Barb Gray who are both still active in the company, and a totally manual packing process, the business commenced. The first pretzels ran off the line in the spring of 1979. Absent was the familiar click of the automated pretzels twisters made obsolete by the much more efficient and trouble-free extruding machines. Virtually all "twist" pretzels are now dye-cut with only a handful of manufacturers still featuring the mechanical dinosaurs.

The original Pretzels Inc. building was outgrown by 1980. Ground was broken for a new 28,000 square foot structure just across the drive in Jasun Park where it is still located. Several building additions have been made to that structure through the past few years to accommodate production of a full array of pretzels: thins, sticks, rods and minis, as well as a complete line of cheese snacks. Primarily a private label company, Pretzels introduced its own brand names, "Will Yums" and "Harvest Road" in the mid-eighties. These successful product lines have led to nationwide distribution and into Canada. The bulk of the plants production, however, remains within a 500-600 mile radius similar to that of the Duchess Company's original market area in the late fifties.

The current operation hosts a 206,000 square foot facility housing 6 pretzel ovens and 2 extruded lines. There are 250 employees operating the highly automated, state-of-the-art bakeries. The high-precision, computerized machinery is truly a tribute to technology. Pretzels Inc. continues to grow as both family's actively participates in the deep rooted business. In 1988, William Mann II (Chip), and Bill Huggins' son, Steve, joined the company after college graduation.

On Christmas Eve, 1997, a fire destroyed a large portion of the manufacturing plant. In keeping with the spirit of the company, the employees were kept on the payrolls while a new plant was built. The plant was re-opened six months from the day of the fire.

Today, Pretzels Inc., thrives. Its fateful history is significant in Bluffton having become the Pretzel Capital of the Midwest. All because, once upon a time, two men had car trouble.

Important Building dates for Pretzels Incorporated

1980         Original Building

1981         Warehouse Extension - North

1984         Oven Room Extension - West

1987         Carton Warehouse

1988         Oven Room Extended  - South

1990-91     Extended Department to North and Warehouse

1992         Expansion to East - Oven Room and Packaging Room

1994         Carton Warehouse Extended

1997         Oven Room - East and Warehouse in North