Brittany Garbutt was 23 when she opened the first Pretzel Australia outlet in a pink shipping container in Perth’s Northbridge in 2017. Profiles published in 2023 put the business at about $9 million in annual revenue, but that figure is a historical estimate—not a verified current total or an audited result. Her growth story combines a recipe she learned as a teenager, distinctive branding, and the less visible work of building production and staffing capacity.
From teenage job to a first shop in Northbridge
Garbutt first learned to make pretzels as a teenager while working at a family-owned pretzel business. That workplace later closed. SmartCompany reported in 2023 that, with the former owner’s blessing, she brought its recipe back and spent months experimenting with her own changes.
In 2017, aged 23, Garbutt used savings to open Pretzel Australia’s first outlet in a shipping container in Northbridge, Perth. Curtin University’s 2022 alumni profile put her launch investment at $100,000. SmartCompany’s 2021 profile says she made pretzels herself while establishing training for the business.
The pink container and the brand’s visual identity helped make the first outlet distinctive. Garbutt had studied creative advertising and graphic design, photography, and illustration, according to Curtin. But branding was one part of the enterprise: the reporting also points to recipe development, choosing locations, training staff, and working out how to produce at a larger scale.
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What the reported $9 million figure means
PerthNow’s 12 October 2023 profile described Pretzel as having about $9 million in annual revenue and 13 stores across Perth and Melbourne. SmartCompany’s 2023 Smart50 entry gives a more specific figure: $8.08 million in revenue for the 2022–23 financial year. It also reports growth from $4.8 million in 2020–21 to just over $8 million in 2022–23.
Those are two separately reported measures, not interchangeable accounts of a precisely established present-day total. The available profiles are published reporting, not audited company accounts. No source here verifies Pretzel’s revenue, store count, staffing, or franchise status in 2026.
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| Report and date | Revenue reported | Scale reported |
|---|---|---|
| SmartCompany, 28 June 2021 | About $5 million annually, as reported in the article | Eight outlets and 650,000 pretzels sold yearly |
| Curtin University, 10 August 2022 | Turnover above $5 million per year | 11 Pretzel stores |
| PerthNow, 12 October 2023 | About $9 million annually | 13 stores across Perth and Melbourne; 270–300 employees aged 16–25 |
| SmartCompany Smart50, 16 November 2023 | $8.08 million for 2022–23; growth from $4.8 million in 2020–21 to just over $8 million in 2022–23 | 12 stores and 156 employees |
The 2023 store and employee counts differ between PerthNow and SmartCompany. The published material does not explain whether timing, definitions, or reporting methods account for the gap, so neither count should be treated as a definitive current figure.
Scaling meant solving a production problem
Opening more outlets required more than repeating a small-batch recipe. SmartCompany’s 2023 Smart50 profile said industrial-scale pretzel baking was less established in Australia than production for categories such as pizza or burgers. It reported that Pretzel invested $200,000 in engineering to develop a specialised oven for pretzel production.
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That investment illustrates a practical constraint behind the growth figures: a product and process that work at one location may need new equipment and operational systems to serve many. The published account reports the investment, but does not establish a particular performance result for the oven.
Garbutt’s account of risk and confidence
In PerthNow’s 2023 profile, Garbutt described her younger self as confident and focused on doing the work rather than dwelling on failure. She also said she was fortunate to be in a position where the worst case felt manageable: “you’re just going to be as broke as everyone else you know.”
That is her description of the risks she considered at the time, not proof that confidence alone produced the company’s growth. The reported story also includes prior experience making pretzels, personal savings, product experimentation, hiring and training, and investment in production infrastructure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and isn’t—known about the next stage
PerthNow reported in October 2023 that franchising was a future ambition. That report does not establish that Pretzel has since begun franchising or that franchise opportunities are currently available. Likewise, the historical revenue and outlet figures should not be read as a statement of the company’s position today.
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What the available accounts do show is how a food business can move from a founder’s early craft experience to a multi-location operation: Garbutt adapted a familiar recipe, opened a visually memorable first site, and the company later invested in purpose-built production capacity. The 2023 revenue reports capture the scale then described by the publications—not a verified 2026 update.
Quick Recap
Sources
- PerthNow, 12 October 2023
- SmartCompany, 28 June 2021
- SmartCompany, 16 November 2023
- Curtin University, 10 August 2022
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