Mt. Olive Pickle Company facts for kids
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founder | Shikrey Baddour and George Moore |
| Headquarters | Mount Olive, North Carolina, United States |
| Products | pickled cucumbers, mixed pickle, relish, and other pickled products |
The Mt. Olive Pickle Company is a company in Mount Olive, North Carolina, USA. They are famous for making pickled cucumbers, also known as pickles! They also make other yummy pickled foods like relish and mixed pickles. In 2024, they even started a special line of fancy pickles called Majestic.
Their main offices and factories are in Mount Olive. The company uses a huge area of land, about 250 acres, for its buildings. They sell over 230 million jars of pickles, peppers, and relishes every year. More than 1,200 people work for Mt. Olive in North Carolina.
How Mt. Olive Pickles Started
The story of Mt. Olive Pickle Company began in the 1920s. A man named Shikrey Baddour, who was an immigrant from Lebanon, saw a problem. Farmers in the area had extra cucumbers that often went to waste.
Shikrey had a clever idea. He thought about buying these cucumbers and putting them in a special salty water called "brine." This process is called brining. He planned to sell these brined cucumbers to other companies that made pickles.
Shikrey asked George Moore, who knew a lot about pickle factories, to help him. But they found it hard to sell their brined cucumbers.
A Fresh Start in 1926
In 1926, a business leader from Mount Olive named I.F. Witherington came up with a new plan. He decided to pack and sell the pickles directly. Thirty-seven people invested their money, about $19,500, to help start the company. They called it a "community proposition" because many people from the town helped.
The company's official papers from 1926 showed they had big plans. They wanted to make and sell all kinds of pickles. They also thought about making canned fruits, vegetables, jams, and jellies. The company could even grow its own cucumbers if it wanted to!
The company's leaders hired H.M. Cox as president. George Moore became the factory superintendent, and Shikrey Baddour was the salesman. They each received shares of the company for their early efforts. The company also bought one acre of land from a farmer named J.A. Westbrook. This land is still part of the factory site today. Mr. Westbrook's old home is still there, right across from the plant.
Fun Marketing and Events
The Mt. Olive Pickle Company uses its hometown, Mount Olive, in its advertising. One of their fun slogans is "From the corner of Cucumber and Vine." This refers to the actual address of their main office!
The company also hosts special events in Mount Olive to celebrate its pickles. Every year, they are a main sponsor of the North Carolina Pickle Festival. The festival in 2025 had many fun activities. These included a car show, a costume contest, a pickle eating contest, and even a pickleball tournament.
Every New Year's Eve, the company puts on a special "pickle drop." A glowing green pickle, about 3 feet tall, is slowly lowered on a flagpole. This happens at 7 p.m. EST, which is midnight in Greenwich Mean Time. People who attend are asked to bring food donations for a local food bank.
