GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A West Michigan pickle company is seeing a huge surge in sales just months after launching.
Dan Sears started Dill Daddy Pickles in September 2023 after looking for a way to start a business in the food space.
He kicked around the idea of making candy, but after much trial and error he landed on pickles.
"I look at pickles in general, the category of pickles... it lacks innovation, it lacks creativity," Sears told FOX 17 Friday.
“We just created something that sticks out, so at least I can break a buying habit where they're used to just grabbing the same jar."
While the main focus of Dill Daddy is to make delicious, crunchy pickles with high quality, fresh ingredients, Sears knew he had to create a brand that would catch your attention.
He arrived on a particularly curvy cucumber to act as company mascot.
With a caked-up backside, Dill Daddy is certainly visible on store shelves.
Their three flavors, classic dill, garlic, and spicy garlic, are available now in Kingma's Market, Ken's Fruit Market, Heffron Farms, and even Joost Vapor locations.
“Ultimately once they try it, most people will come back and buy them again because they are really good,” Sears explained.
As of about two months ago, the company had already sold roughly 12,000 jars of pickles.
A lot of their business is still happening online, but they are hopeful to get their pickles into SpartanNash and Meijer stores in the future.
"If you want to start a business, just do it. You make mistakes. I've made plenty of mistakes. You're gonna keep making mistakes and learn from them,“ Sears said.
"Make a good pickle, make people actually enjoy it, and the rest will come."
Dill Daddy has been sharing their journey on their Facebook page, quickly growing their family of friends across the country.
You can buy jars of any flavor at their website HERE.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
