Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Kriebel.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In thinking about my personal story, I’d have to say I have come full circle. In my career, the 360 is that I started out as a graphic designer and worked on flexible packaging projects. In between there
were stints at random jobs, time as a server and restaurant manager where I learned the power and
importance of customer service and how a good experience in hospitality can drive brand loyalty.
After the financial crash of the mid 2000s, my venture into the dog food business failed. Fast forward
several years, I found my way to the wellness world – getting a Master’s degree in Health Education,
teaching wellness and nutrition classes at San Mateo Adult School and starting my own business
teaching community nutrition and mindfulness classes. Each of these jobs has taught me something
different, helped me hone specific skills and given me the confidence to lead OMG! Pretzels.

In my personal life, I have also been on a journey that has brought me back home – to a place and
with people who love and stand by me no matter what. My childhood was filled with love and
happiness. Every morning before school, we played cards with my grandfather and ate cinnamon-
sugar toast. This memory inspired one of our best-selling flavors! We were a very all-American
family – my siblings and I played sports and were quite good. We spent the winters in Florida with
my dad’s parents and his brother’s family. We were homeschooled during those trips and always
came back with a plethora of knowledge – both from book and life lessons.

Once I hit high school, things seemed to go downhill. I was bored and didn’t have a lot of personal
direction, so I started cutting school and hanging out with the wrong crowd. By my mid-teens, I was
into alcohol and drugs. A problem that lasted for years. During that time I caused a lot of heartache
for my family.

Despite my addiction, I was able to hide it and still have a business. Eventually, it caught up with
me. The lifestyle I was living led to a relationship in which I became a victim of domestic violence. It
was the mid 2000s, I was living in Las Vegas and began my path to sobriety. In a way, the drive that
leads someone to become an addict is similar to the drive you need to succeed as an entrepreneur.
Sometimes, being hyper-focused is a good thing.

I have been sober for 15 years. During these years, I have volunteered with senior centers,
emergency response teams, and domestic violence shelters like Laurel House that our give-back
effort – OMG! Cares – supports. I live half the time in California and the other half in Plymouth
Meeting, Pretzel-vania and run the business from both coasts. I found an immensely supportive
partner who I love to travel with; we hope to have a roving retirement when he ends his teaching
career and I successfully sell OMG! Pretzels.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, as mentioned above. My life, both personally and professionally, has had its share of ups and downs and here I am today as the CEO of a successful
national snack brand, one of the hardest businesses you could ever be in. I had dreamed of being
the leader of a well-known company for years but lost sight of that dream as the years went by. It’s
nice that I am now in a place where I can reflect on the past and be excited for the future.

We’ve been impressed with OMG! Pretzels, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are changing the way people think about pretzels. OMG! Pretzels is a woman-owned, family-run company that crafts the only boldly seasoned, authentically-aged sourdough pretzel nuggets on the
market. With 9 unique varieties made in the USA, our recipes are kosher, free of artificial
ingredients, and 8 flavors are nonGMO. Each of our unique, culinary-inspired seasoning blends
boasts a 2-note tasting experience and along with the light, airy crunch of our sourdough nugget,
creates a love at first bite experience. Our pretzel nuggets are the perfect standalone snack, an
elegant enhancement for entertaining, and a delicious addition to your favorite recipes. We are
driven by our mission to bring people together and inspire joy over shared moments of
scrumptious, better-for-you snacking.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Perseverance. Hands down. I believe that if you work hard and have a good attitude, you can overcome anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.omgpretzels.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/omgpretzels

Image Credits
FoodyHopper and Sarah Htun