Auntie Anne’s pretzels is coming out with a perfume that you ‘knead’ to smell to believe
Go on. Who doesn't want to smell like a mall?
If you’ve always longed for your significant other to tell you that you smell luscious, your time has come — especially if said sweetie is into carbs.
This coming week, Auntie Anne’s, the world-known mall pretzel maker with roots in Pennsylvania, is launching a wearable fragrance inspired by its product’s unmistakable aroma.
“There are few scents more recognizable than the aroma of Auntie Anne’s,” Julie Younglove-Webb, the company chief brand officer, said in a statement. “Smell is a special and powerful sense. Over the year, fans have shared their memories and experiences that began with just a whiff of our pretzels. We’ve bottled that moment and can’t wait for fans to enjoy it in a whole new way.”
The name of this new olfactory product is “Knead: Eau de Pretzel,” and the company describes its scent as notes of buttery dough, salt, and a hint of sweetness. Certain to transport its users to times spent browsing Hot Topic or epic sales at Old Navy and American Eagle, “each spritz evokes the experience of passing an Auntie Anne’s store and inhaling the nostalgic aroma of their pretzels,” the company says.
To mark Knead’s arrival with flair, the company says it is opening New York City’s first Pretzel Parfumerie this Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 433 Broadway in SoHo. It’ll be open from noon to 7 p.m., and visitors will get a tote bag and a pretzel. Those who buy the scent will get to choose from other swag that will be available.
If you can’t make it, don’t fret. Knead will be available starting the following morning at auntieannes.com/knead. It comes in 1-ounce and 3.4-ounce bottles for $25 and $45.
From Downingtown to New York City
Despite the fragrance’s big Manhattan launch, the pretzel itself was born of more humble, although inspirational beginnings.
Founder Anne Beiler was raised in the Amish-Mennonite community in Lancaster County, according to her website. She married Jonas Beiler, her teenage crush, and their lives were peaceful until tragedy struck when their 19-month-old daughter was killed in a farming accident. Years of depression, grief, and other trouble followed.
Ultimately, though, counseling and faith healed them both. Jonas decided to start his own family counseling practice, and Anne sought to support it by selling her pretzels at a concession stand at a Downingtown farmers market in 1988. Over time, she became a public speaker and author, and her pretzels became the popular Auntie Anne’s brand.
The company was acquired by Focus Brands (now known as GoTo Foods) in 2010.
The internet has already caught hold of the new offering, and some people are saying they want the scent in a candle.
Others are less sure about smelling like a mall.
But the pretzels are big sellers. According to company, those savory and sweet twists, nuggets, and mixes are sold in more 1,700 locations in 48 states and over 25 countries.
And now its pretzels’ essence has been captured in a bottle. Says the company: “You know you Knead it.”