Pickle Market Untapped Potential

Jesse Itzler identifies an opportunity in the pickle market, noting a lack of brand recognition and marketing innovation in a category with massive consumption but poor brand awareness.

Key Points:

• Market Size & Consumption:

  • 245 million Americans eat pickles (75% of population)
  • Average American consumes 10 pounds per year
  • Consumption higher than cereal

• Market Problem:

  • No brand recognition - most people can't name 3 pickle companies
  • Of top 7 best-tasting pickles, most brands unknown
  • Lack of marketing innovation and fun in the category
  • No lifestyle branding (nobody wearing pickle company merchandise)

• Opportunity:

  • Marketing problem rather than product problem
  • Space for creating a memorable brand
  • Room for innovation in a stagnant category
  • Mount Olive (current leader) does $220M in revenue

• Growth Potential:

  • Growing presence at races/marathons (pickle juice at aid stations)
  • Emerging health/sports market
  • Opportunity to create lifestyle brand around pickles