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Women-owned pretzel manufacturer Stellar Snacks has expanded its portfolio with the launch of Stellar Pretzel Braids Baked with Olive Oil, a six-strong product line delivering a seed-oil-free proposition to the savoury snack fixture.
Rolling out to Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide in late October 2026, the collection adapts the brand's signature braided pretzel format using pure olive oil rather than refined vegetable or seed oils. The line features sweet and savoury varieties, headlined by the commercial debut of two brand-new recipe builds: Elote Loco and Spicy Flame.
The product introduction arrives amid rapid retail expansion for the Carson City, Nevada-based manufacturer. The business is on track to scale its retail distribution footprint from approximately 12,000 retail doors at the end of 2025 to roughly 18,000 doors by the end of 2026—a 50% year-on-year increase driven by phased rollouts across Kroger, Albertsons/Safeway, Publix, Target, and warehouse club formats.
"Snackers are looking for fun moments in their day-to-day life, and they want choices that fit the way they eat," said Andy Yee, Senior Brand Manager at Stellar Snacks. "Our Olive Oil Pretzel Braids give people more options. They're the same authentically baked braids and bold flavours our fans love, now with a new way to enjoy them, plus two brand-new flavours in Elote Loco and Spicy Flame."
Flavours and Seed-Oil-Free Formulations
The new product line is baked from scratch daily using sustainably harvested flours, handpicked seasonings, and an olive oil baking base, completely excluding industrial seed oils, artificial flavourings, peanuts, and soya:
🌽 Elote Loco (New): Formulated with a zesty Mexican street corn seasoning profile, combining savoury roasted corn sweetness, tangy lime, cheese-style notes, and mild chilli spices.
🔥 Spicy Flame (New): Blends hot habanero pepper heat with smoky paprika seasoning to deliver a sharp, building spice profile.
🧅 Maui Monk: Pairs savoury Maui onion flavour notes with a subtle sweet finish.
🧄 Bold & Herby: Seasoned with a rich aromatic blend of roasted garlic, onion, and dried garden herbs.
🍯 Cinnamon Dolce: Adapts dessert bakery profiles onto the pretzel matrix, blending warming ground cinnamon with brown sugar notes.
🟡 French Dijon: Delivers a bold, pungent Dijon mustard tang rounded out with mild sweetness.
The entire range carries vegan, kosher, and Non-GMO Project Verified certifications. Formulating with olive oil enables the brand to cater to consumer scrutiny surrounding highly refined dietary fats, providing natural-channel shoppers with an alternative to commodity canola- or soybean-oil-fried pretzels.
Company Growth and Investment
Founded in 2019 by mother-and-daughter team Elisabeth and Gina Galvin, Stellar Snacks operates as one of the few dedicated pretzel manufacturers in the United States, and the sole women-owned enterprise in the sector.
The business built initial consumer recognition through high-volume in-flight catering contracts with Southwest Airlines, distributing pretzels to hundreds of millions of airline passengers annually before executing a phased retail grocery deployment.
"Gina and I began Stellar with a simple dream: to share our love of wholesome food and spark a renaissance of the pretzel in America by offering something simple, buttery, fluffy and delicious," said founder Elisabeth Galvin. "Today, expanded national distribution is sending us soaring like a rocket, but our customers and fans are the ones who gave us wings: embracing Stellar, sharing our story and carrying us farther and faster than we ever imagined."
To fund its ongoing manufacturing expansion and commercial retail scaling, private equity firm Main Post Partners completed a strategic minority investment in Stellar Snacks earlier this year. The capital injection supports production line automation, supply chain infrastructure, and inventory financing as the brand scales across grocery multiples, mass merchants, and speciality natural accounts nationwide.
Over the 52-week tracking period, Stellar's multi-outlet (MULO) retail sales expanded 205% compared with the previous year, with average All-Commodity Volume (ACV) distribution rising 14.3 points to reach 20%. In the total US grocery channel, the brand contributed 27% of total pretzel category growth in the four weeks ending 4 October 2026.
"Our thoughtful and disciplined approach to building Stellar over the last five years has created a foundation for accelerated growth with product, flavour and pack size innovation to meet the needs of our shoppers and retailers," said Aidan McAuley, Senior Executive Vice President of Sales. "The shift towards better-for-you snacking will also contribute to sustained market share growth among the major segments of the salty snack category."
Stellar Pretzel Braids – Baked with Olive Oil is rolling out to Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide in late October 2026, joining the brand's foundational Pretzel Braids range across Target, Kroger, and select Costco locations.
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