Seacoast Stories LIVE! is happening on Friday, December 5 at 3S Artspace. Host Troy Farkas will speak to Dagan Migirditch from Liars Bench Beer Co., as well as past podcast guests Laura Fox and Erin Holt. To see the Seacoast's No. 1 podcast in person, you can secure your tickets here.
Port City Pretzels is not what you think it is.
It's a much larger operation than you ever imagined it would be.
Seated on THOUSANDS of grocery store shelves across the country, Port City Pretzels have become a giant in the snack industry. With shelf space in WalMart, Shaw's, Market Basket, Hannaford, and many more, Port City finds itself competing against the top dogs in a world Suzanne Foley never imagined she'd find herself in.
Foley, the founder of Port City Pretzels, is the daughter of Eileen Foley, the longest-serving mayor in the history of Portsmouth ... and the creator of the dill ranch pretzel recipe - a recipe Suzanne perfected when she started her company in the mid-2010s.
Port City Pretzels began as a modest operation in Suzanne's kitchen, with the original goal of selling solely at tiny stores across the Seacoast.
But word quickly spread about the pretzels, and Suzanne, a high-flying businesswoman in a past life, decided to go all in - getting more space, hiring "unique" staff, and eventually bringing on her daughter, Eilee Marousek, to be her business partner.
On today's episode, Suzanne and Eilee join host Troy Farkas to discuss the early days of Port City Pretzels, why very few took Suzanne seriously at first, how the company blew up faster than she expected, and why the two need to see a therapist in order to keep their working relationship healthy.
Plus, how the business caught the attention of "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban, and why Vice President Kamala Harris visited the facility during her presidential campaign!
CHAPTERS:
- Starting Portsmouth Pretzels (00:00)
- Rapid growth in the early days (14:15)
- Port City's commitment to hiring workers with disabilities (18:40)
- SPONSORS: Little Tree Education & Studio H (25:25)
- How PCP began to scale and grow across the country (29:12)
- What it's like running a family business (46:02)
- That time Kamala Harris visited the factory (55:12)
- How do you want to be remembered? (01:07:00)
EVENTS:
- Seacoast Stories Dinner Club! It's happening in Portsmouth at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5, just prior to the next live podcast. Take the personality quiz here to get matched up with five Seacoast strangers for dinner.
SPONSORS:
- Little Tree Education: Get 50% off your application fee with code SEACOASTSTORIES when applying your child for Spring/Fall 2026 at the Seacoast's top Montessori school!
- Studio H Salon: Get 50% ($100) off your consultation regarding preventative hair loss! Visit their website and type "STORIES" into the contact box to activate the deal.
- To get started on a path toward better financial investment, email our friend David Higgins david.higgins@wellsfargoadvisors.com! He's a Portsmouth legend, and you won't regret it.
Investment and insurance products are Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency, Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate, Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested.
Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Clearing Servic
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