The largest pretzel franchise in the world, Auntie Anne’s, got its start in Downingtown, where its founder Anne Beiler purchased a stand at the farmers market, writes Matt Benedetto for abc27 News.

“Anne started baking pretzels to help fund her husband’s desire to provide free family counseling services for their community,” states the company’s website.

In 1988, the Lancaster County native started selling her pretzels in Downingtown. However, they became so popular that she opened a second location in Harrisburg that same year followed by another one in Middletown in 1989.

From there, Auntie Anne’s continued to grow by opening locations in malls that were run by family and friends. The company reached revenues of around $1 million in 1990. Each location was run separately, with Beiler receiving a percentage of the monthly revenues.

The franchise continued to grow to 344 stores in America. Then in 1995, the company opened a store in Jakarta, Indonesia, its first international location.

Today, the company has over 1,300 locations in the United States, as well as nearly 800 shops in 23 countries across the world.

Read more about how Auntie Anne’s got its start in Downingtown at abc27 News.

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