By Bill Sokolic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on many businesses. For John LeVicchi, it meant turning a part-time hobby making pretzels for parties and other events into a full-time venture, including the recent opening of a retail store in Absecon.
“I did this part time until I was laid off in 2020. It is now my full-time obsession,” LeVicchi said. The idea of leaving his job as a sales manager on the road occurred to him, but it took the pandemic to go from idea to reality for the Hangover Pretzel Company.
No misprint. Hangover Pretzel Company. Funny story about the name, LeVicchi said.
“A neighbor called after one of the parties and complained to my wife, Lois, that our pretzels gave him the worst hangover.” Couldn’t be, thought Lois. Who has a hangover on pretzels? But moments later the neighbor confessed he made the hangover thing up but loved the pretzels.
“The rumor spread throughout the development and soon everyone was joking that our pretzels caused everyone’s hangover and not the booze,” LeVicchi said. “I heard, `We’re having a BBQ, can you bring the pretzels? We’re hitting the beach. Can you bring the pretzels?’ When it came time to name the company of course we went with The Hangover Pretzel Company.”
The recipe originally came from an old friend. “I modified it to make it retail worthy,” he said of the Zesty Lemon Pepper, still its biggest seller. LeVicchi built his home in Freehold in 1999. He hosted parties, serving the pretzels, and attracting a following. In 2009, the company landed its first account in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Hangover Pretzels also attracted Bon Appetit comments: “Blissfully crunchy… deeply saturated with flavor… absolutely addicting… best pretzels ever.”
A Maplewood, N.J. native, LeVicchi graduated Richard Stockton University in Galloway Township, so he has familiarity with South Jersey. But opening a retail outlet in Absecon is about money. “It’s strictly a cost measure. Absecon rent is a third of Freehold,” LeVicchi said.
Hangover Pretzels makes the following flavors:
Brown Sugar Cinnamon
Caysabi-(spicy)
Sweet Heet
Original Zesty Lemon Pepper
Ched ‘a Ranch
Naked Pretzel, just a regular sourdough variety.
LeVicchi scoffs at comparing his Auntie Anne’s or Philly Pretzel Factory.
“They are not our competition. Both Auntie Anne’s and Pretzel Factory offer soft pretzels that go stale within a few hours. Our pretzels are crunchy sourdoughs as opposed to soft. Ours has a shelf life of four months.”
The company is doing something right. “Since 2020 our business has grown 600 percent. I’m not surprised, but I wish it had happened sooner!” Hangover Pretzels has expanded offerings by adding trail mix, organic dog biscuits in the shape of pretzels and granola. In addition to expanding the product line, the plan is to expand along the Eastern Coast.
Find them in Smithville with the Smithville Pickle Company, the Ocean City Pickle Co. in Ocean City and Cold Spring Brewing in Cape May. That’s just South Jersey. Find the pretzels in Lambertville, Long Branch, Hackettstown, Chester and more, at farmers markets, breweries, and distilleries.
LeVicchi has words of advice for promising retailers: Be persistent, he says. “Never hesitate to ask for help. Reach out to others in the business for advice and keep pushing yourself!”
Visit the Hangover Pretzel Company at 152 New Jersey Ave., Absecon. Visit https://thpcs.com/.
William Sokolic is a veteran journalist who has written for daily, weekly and monthly publications. He’s covered a wide range of news, features and entertainment stories. Much of his work concerns tourism, Atlantic City, and the gaming industry.
