After a TikTok surge, a Baltimore County entrepreneur with autism grows his pretzel business — and hopes to hire others on the spectrum.
BALTIMORE — Nearly a year ago, inside a small kitchen outside Baltimore, Marcus Moore was carefully pouring pretzels onto a tray — building a business one batch at a time.
Today, nothing about his story has gone stale.
Moore is the founder of Moore Crunch, a growing pretzel company rooted in equal parts flavor and purpose. When WUSA9 first introduced viewers to Moore, he was working part-time, producing and packing his own product with help from his parents.
“The world needs more crunch,” Moore said then — a tagline that doubled as a mission statement.
Moore was born with autism. His father, Walter Moore, said the road to this moment was not always easy.
“When you’re called to school because your kid is getting beat up, that’s hard,” Walter Moore said during the original interview.
But the family kept going. And eventually, so did the business.
After the initial story aired, clips made their way to TikTok. The response was immediate. Millions watched. Orders flooded in.
“What he would get in four months, he got in a day,” Walter Moore said.
Marcus Moore quickly expanded from working two days a week to five. He has since personally packed thousands of bags of pretzels — with help from his parents and a sealing machine he affectionately named “Stephen.”
“These aren’t just customers — they are my Moore Crunch crew,” Moore said, laughing.
The surge in support transformed more than sales numbers. It strengthened Moore’s confidence — and broadened his vision.
He now hopes to hire other employees on the autism spectrum, creating opportunities for people who often face barriers to traditional employment.
For his father, the growth represents something deeper than business success.
“Oh man, that is an understatement,” Walter Moore said when asked about his pride. “I can’t find the words to say how happy I am. Knowing the road that Marcus has had to travel. I’m very grateful. And very proud of him.”
Moore says he understands what this moment means.
“This is my chance in life,” he said. “And I’m not going to waste it.”
For Marcus Moore, there are still more pretzels to bake — and more lives to impact, because, as he likes to say, the world needs more crunch.