It Started With Friendship, Food & Beer
Founders Mark Dimond and Bill Deacon met in college in 1987, bonding over their New England roots, the Boston Red Sox, great food and, naturally, beer. After college, they became partners in a New England seafood restaurant in Scottsdale, where their passion for food deepened - and the restaurant became a Southwest outpost for Red Sox fans. Decades later, inspired by a couple of classmates who went on to do notable things in the world of craft beer, they narrowed their focus on the perfect snack complement, and the quest began.
An Idea Was Brewing
In an ironic twist of fate, these passions came together on Opening Day in 2018, when Dimond, a regular with Deacon at the celebrated Boston restaurant Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks, was sitting at the bar having conversations with the restaurant's owner, renowned James Beard-nominated restaurateur Garrett Harker.
Dimond lamented how difficult it was to find a high-quality soft pretzel on the retail market that could truly match the booming craft beer movement, given that most commercial options were dry, tasteless, or full of artificial ingredients. As drinks flowed and snacks were savored, an idea of making high-quality pretzels that are a legitimate partner to the craft beer movement coalesced into a company. Harker recommended that the pair meet with Lauren Moran, an elite baker who studied under Jacques Pepin and was former executive pastry chef for Harker's restaurant group.
A Twist on Tradition
The recipe began with simple ingredients - flour, water and yeast, plus a touch of turbinado raw sugar and malt syrup. The goal was to avoid the chemicals and preservatives commonly used in commercial pretzels and bread products to accelerate baking and extend shelf life.
Once the recipe was perfected, the founders added their own twist - literally. With plans to leverage their hospitality connections and launch through local breweries and taprooms, they wanted a pretzel distinctive enough to be recognized across a crowded bar. Inspired by their New England roots, they chose the shape of a sailor's knot, creating the signature Wheelhouse pretzel.
Built by Friends. Powered by Family.
Like many startups, the early business was a family affair. While Mark and Bill brainstormed across New England meeting with brewers and taprooms, their wives and partners, Carrie and Linda, became the company's early product, online marketing and fulfillment entrepreneurs. They helped develop and execute the first salt and sugar complements and hand-packed the company's earliest direct-to-consumer orders in the basement.
Then Oprah Called. Seriously.
Testing the direct-to-consumer market became a catalyst for extraordinary growth. In 2019, Oprah Winfrey discovered Eastern Standard Provisions' pretzels online and selected them for her coveted "Favorite Things" list, transforming ESP from a local brewery favorite into a nationwide snacking powerhouse.
What began with just 40 packages shipped in the company's first month grew to tens of thousands of packages only six months later following the announcement of Oprah's 2019 Favorite Things list.
When the World Changed, So Did We
That momentum was tested in early 2020 when bars, restaurants, breweries and event venues - ESP's original target market - were forced to close practically overnight.
At the same time, the company experienced an unexpected online boom as consumers fundamentally changed how they purchased food. To adapt, the Deacons hosted half of the launch team at their home in Maine, while the Dimonds organized and led the other half through a socially distanced fulfillment operation as package volumes climbed into the hundreds of thousands.
Still Obsessed With the Perfect Soft Pretzel
Today, Eastern Standard Provisions is available online and through national retailers, combining small-batch craftsmanship with nationwide reach and more than 45,000 five-star customer reviews.
At the heart of the brand remains the soft pretzel recipe Mark and Bill spent years perfecting - a light, airy, brioche-like interior paired with a traditional Bavarian-style crust for a one-of-a-kind soft pretzel experience.
