Franchisee Voices: Valerie Brang Of Philly Pretzel Factory

Valerie Brang and her family stumbled upon a new career with Philly Pretzel Factory by pure chance, and are on the fast track to keeping the brand’s success going in North Carolina.  

Growing up in Levittown, Pennsylvania, Brang married her high school sweetheart, Larry. Going on to further her education, Brang worked part time as a dental assistant and graduated from Southeast Community College with her associate’s degree in Dental Public Health and Education. The couple decided to settle down to begin their family and had their first son, Larry Jr.  At the time, Larry Sr. was the finance director at SmithKline Beecham when he was relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska. Always wanting a big family, the happy couple made Nebraska their new home and had their second son, Daniel.  

One move was not enough for the Brangs; in 1996 they ventured to Collierville, Tennessee for another job opportunity for Larry. Over the next 14 years, the Brangs had their third son, Jonathan, and Valerie entered the education field as a preschool teacher at Carnation Elementary School.

While she enjoyed teaching, after seven years in the education industry, Valerie ventured into business ownership with Rita’s Ice and Custard.  Having a natural knack for business, within the first six months, the Brangs’ location was voted the No.1 dessert place in the mid-south. In 2011, the Brangs made a final move to North Carolina due to Larry Sr. being relocated to work for Merck Pharmaceuticals.  Although business was going extremely well, Brang made the decision to sell the Rita’s Ice and Custard location to support her husband and family.

Selling Rita’s and moving to North Carolina allowed Brang to primarily focus on her family and become a stay-at-home mother. However, having a passion for business ownership, an opportunity arose for Brang; a friend of the Brang’s and owner of the Rita’s Ice and Custard in Charlotte was looking to open another location. After compiling research about the community, Valerie quickly learned that the only Philly Pretzel Factory in North Carolina was closing. Familiar with Philly Pretzel Factory from her hometown, Valerie went to her husband with this new opportunity. Hesitant at first, Larry Sr. questioned the opportunity, but a few days later Valerie saw a post on Philly Pretzel Factory’s social media page about the location and brought the idea to her husband again. This time there was no hesitation; the Brangs loved the idea and wanted to make this their focus. Larry and Valerie called corporate and the immediate transition began at an intense speed.

Philly Pretzel Factory corporate came to North Carolina for the Brangs to complete training. In just three days, the Brangs completed the training process and corporate saw their drive and ambition, leading to the decision to reopen just one day after their training was complete.  

Valerie has made Philly Pretzel Factory a family business, while she handles the marketing and fundraising, all three of her sons have an important role in their new business. Daniel, 22, is the Operations Manager and handles all of the day-to-day process. Her oldest Larry Jr., 23, will eventually be leading off site events and her youngest, Jonathon, is the customers’ favorite.  

How did you learn about the brand?

Growing up close to Philadelphia I was familiar with brand. Anytime we went to go visit, my family bought a large amount of pretzels to keep in our freezer, this way we would have them anytime. Not to mention you usually find a Philly Pretzel Factory close to a Rita’s and they sell their product. 

Why did you choose an opportunity with Philly Pretzel Factory?

I wanted to own my own business and people love pretzels. The timing was right and it was something I felt we needed to do. With the location practically being given away, we couldn’t pass this up. It also helps our sons to establish a career.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

We have been very lucky; there were no bumps in the road. We kept questioning it because it was too good to be true. The biggest challenge was the amount of time we had to transition but corporate made that a smooth transition as well.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Philly Pretzel Factory?

We want to grow this business. We love the opportunity with Walmart and see ourselves becoming a part of that. We hope to open a location in Charlotte because we get so many people from that area. We think it would do extremely well.