The pickle freight train keeps on rolling and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Pickle-flavored products are popping up every day, and the brine-soaked flavor bombs have gained a new popularity through social media sites like TikTok and Instagram.
Entrepreneurs and established retailers are jumping into the pickle game with innovative packaging and private-label varieties.
The global pickle market was valued at $14.21 billion in 2024 by Straits Research and is expected to grow to $19.36 billion by 2033.
NielsenIQ reports that pickle sales in US grocery and convenience stores currently stand at around $1.65 billion for the year. Meanwhile, pickle-flavored product sales over the same period hit $490 million, up 33.8% year over year.
Pickles in the Shark Tank
Olives were the main sales pitch for Nikki Seaman, founder of Freestyle Snacks, during her recent appearance on Shark Tank, the reality TV show on ABC where entrepreneurs urge celebrity investors to back their startup businesses.
But the company, which offers a unique, liquid-free pouch for its pickled products, recently expanded into the pickle market and is seeing big returns from their appearance on the show. The Shark Tank appearance netted them a $300,000 investment with an 11% equity stake in the company from Allison Ellsworth, the founder of popular probiotic drink Poppi.
“While the episode focused on olives, we’ve seen benefits across our entire business, pickles included. The timing of the airing couldn’t have been better – it has brought a significant amount of awareness to this brand new line,” Seaman said.
Seaman said in an interview that Freestyle expanded into the pickle market at the suggestion of Whole Foods Market.
“We wanted to keep our mission to reimagine snacking at the forefront, but expand our product line to appeal beyond olive lovers into an even bigger market,” Seaman said.
Freestyle began market testing in early 2025 and now offers three varieties: Classic Dill Pickle Chips, Garlic Dill Mini Pickles and spicy Kickin’ Pickle Chips. The company is already looking to expand the line with new flavor profiles due to the success of the initial launch, Seaman said.
“Shark Tank gave us national visibility at a moment when our pickle line was taking off, which sharpened our belief that pickles can be a massive growth driver for Freestyle,” she said.
Private-label pickles
Retailers are also getting into the pickle business with their own lines of private-label pickles. Pickles and pickle-flavored products were in abundance at the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s 2025 Private-Label Trade Show in Rosemont, Ill, in mid-November.
Bradley Bennett, founder of Pacific Pickle Works, is a veteran in the pickle business. He launched his business 15 years ago and offers a wide range of pickled products.
His pickles come in a number of cleverly-named varieties, such as the habanero-flavored Pandemonium Pickles and the kimchi-flavored Kimchi meets Pickle.
A lot of the experimentation on adventurous pickle flavors is taking place in restaurants, where consumers will find pickles with Asian and Middle Eastern flavor profiles, he said.
Pickles are also riding the better-for-you wave because they’re naturally healthy. Pacific Pickle Works distinguishes itself through its commitment to clean label, he said.
“It has really helped us as we’ve gone live in this space to let people know that whatever they buy across our line doesn’t have any of those artificial ingredients in it,” he said.
Bennett said Pacific Pickle Works has expanded over the years to work with retailers to develop their own store brands. That vertical business now makes up about 40% of the company’s overall revenue, he said.
“We started, of course, just manufacturing for ourselves, but as a young company, we had a lot of idle time in our factory, and in order to monetize that we started taking on other brands,” he said.
