Ryan's had a passion for cooking since he was a kid. For years that passion just lived in a dream — a restaurant, a food truck, something that let him feed people and watch their faces on the first bite.
"Have you ever smoked pretzels?" Ryan hadn't. So he fired up the smoker, ran a small batch, and knew immediately there was something real here. Months of experimenting with flavors and technique later, Back 40 BBQ's first product was born: Garlic Parmesan smoked pretzels.
At the start of 2026, Ryan and his wife Holly launched Back 40 BBQ together — a family business in every sense of the word.
Ryan & Holly — Holland, MI
Operations, cooking, and sales. Every show starts with him.
Runs the books, designs the booth, keeps the plan honest.
Helps with cooking and packaging — runs her own station now.
Head Taste Tester. Does not take bribes.
The back 40 is the part of the land where the real work happens — no audience, no applause, just heads-down effort. That's the culture we wanted around this food.
The number 40 runs a little deeper for us too. In Scripture, 40 marks a season of preparation before something greater. Colossians 3:23 says to work at everything with your whole heart, as if working for the Lord. That's what this business is to us — we make pretzels, but the real mission is building community and serving people well.
That's not a slogan we came up with for a website — it's the actual mission, and it's why a family of four spends its weekends running a smoker trailer instead of resting.
Farmers markets, church fundraisers, school events, local festivals across West Michigan — this is where we built the business, one sample at a time.
Real Amish butter. Legacy bourbon distilled in Hudsonville. Hand-shredded cheese, fresh jalapeños. Neighbors first, distributors second.
Pretzel platters, on-site smoking, and custom flavor blends for weddings, church events, and company parties.
Planning a market, fundraiser, or event in Holland? Reach out — we'd like to be part of it.
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