Hammond Pretzel Bakery has won the Hard Pretzel and Pretzel/Snack Food categories 25 out of 25 years.
At Hammond Pretzel Bakery, the pretzel-baking process is a balance of art and science and it varies very little from when founder Bill Lichty started rolling dough in his garage in 1931.
‘It’s a learned art,’ says Bill’s granddaughter, Karen Achtermann, who operates the bakery with her brother, Brian Nicklaus (their parents, Carol and Tom Nicklaus, are semi-retired).
All told, about 15 employees produce 1,500 pounds of pretzels per day or more, depending on the time of year all by hand. Varieties made on-site include regular, salty, extra-salty, low-salt, no-salt and dark; the bakery also features flavored pretzels, chocolate-covered pretzels, pretzel dips and Shenk’s cup cheese (Karen’s husband, Karl, took over that business in 2000). As for the Hammond name, that comes courtesy of Bill’s grandfather and next-door neighbor, a baker since the 1800s who provided the all-important pretzel recipe. And, the bakery is still located at the rear of the former Lichty and Hammond households along the 700 block of South West End Avenue in Lancaster Township.
Source: Lancaster County Magazine (http://www.lancastercountymag.com/25-years/)