Celebrating 100 Years of Mt. Olive Pickle Company: A Century at the Corner of Cucumber & Vine
In 1926, a small group of business leaders in rural Eastern North Carolina took a chance on an idea and on each other. They gathered in S.L. Warren’s office on January 2, 1926 with one goal in mind: create a market for local farmers’ bumper crops of cucumbers. They invested in a tiny 3,600-square-foot building, purchased a single acre of land for $1,000, and launched what they proudly called a community proposition.
They named the company after their town, Mount Olive, North Carolina, believing that if their pickle company succeeded, their community would succeed with it.
From our earliest days as a small regional operation, Mt. Olive has grown to serve customers in all 50 states, earning the title of America’s #1 pickle brand. Our footprint now spans 1.6 million square feet and 250 acres, anchored by a tank yard that holds over 40 million pounds of cucumbers and powered by more than 1,300 Pickle People who continue what our founders began 100 years ago.
“For 100 years, this company has been rooted in service, to farmers, to employees, to customers, and to our community,” said Greg Smith, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “As we celebrate this milestone, we remain committed to those same values as we look ahead to the next century.”
One hundred years later, Mt. Olive Pickle Company is America’s #1 best-selling brand of pickles, peppers, and relishes. Our original vision still guides every jar we pack.
The Early Years
In the early 1920s, Mount Olive, North Carolina was a small but lively farming community. Cucumbers grew well in the region, but there was not enough demand for them. Bumper crops meant perfectly good cucumbers were left to spoil in the fields.
A Lebanese immigrant from nearby Goldsboro, Shikrey Baddour, believed there had to be a way to help. He began buying the excess cucumbers, brining them in large vats, and hoping to resell the brine stock to other pickle companies. When that plan didn’t pan out, a group of Mount Olive business leaders recognized a bigger opportunity: if no one would buy the cucumbers, the town would pack the pickles itself.
On January 2, 1926, thirteen business leaders formally organized Mt. Olive Pickle Company as a “community proposition,” believing that if their pickle company succeeded, their hometown would succeed with it. Their first year was humble: a 3,600-square-foot building, an acre of land purchased for $1,000, and jars filled carefully by hand, sometimes using old coffee pots to pour syrup. But the mission was clear: support farmers, strengthen the community, and produce a quality product with the town’s name on the label.
One hundred years later, that mission still defines us.
Growing With Purpose
Over the decades, Mt. Olive became known as a company ahead of its time. In 1943, we launched one of the first employee profit-sharing plans in the country. In 1959, we created our Employees Community Fund, which has since contributed millions of dollars to nonprofits across our local community and region. In the late 1960s and early 70s, groundbreaking fermentation research done at Mt. Olive helped transform modern pickling methods.
By the 1990s, as many pickle companies merged or closed, Mt. Olive chose a different path: to grow, remain independent, and bring our hometown’s name to shelves across America. Our distribution expanded from a handful of states to all 50, and Mt. Olive became the #1 best-selling brand of pickles, peppers, and relishes in the U.S.
Today, our operations span 1.6 million square feet across 250 acres, our tank yard stores more than 40 million pounds of cucumbers, and over 1,300 Pickle People carry on the work started a century ago.
A New Chapter: Introducing Majestic Picklery
As we approached our centennial, we proudly announced something 100 years in the making: Majestic Picklery, our gourmet, artisanal line of premium pickled products.
Born from nearly a century of craft, Majestic Picklery brings elevated flavors, select ingredients, and meticulous recipes to your table, whether you’re hosting a backyard cookout or a special dinner party. These top-shelf pickles, peppers, and relishes celebrate the heart of Mt. Olive’s heritage while offering something fresh, refined, and memorable. For decades, you’ve trusted Mt. Olive to be part of your everyday moments. With Majestic Picklery, we’re honored to help make you Make Majestic Moments at your gatherings.
Honoring the Community That Built Us
Just as our founders intended, Mt. Olive Pickle continues to invest in the community that has supported us for 100 years.
In 2025 alone, Mt. Olive contributed $1.6 million in charitable cash and product donations to charitable organizations, including:
- Make-A-Wish® Foundation (over $900,000 donated since 2020)
- National Wheelchair Basketball Association
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County
- United Way of Wayne County
- Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina
- University of Mount Olive
“100 years ago, a group of business leaders organized our company as a way to improve their hometown,” said Greg Smith, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “We strive to remember our roots by engaging with our local community here in the Carolinas and beyond.”
Celebrating the Centennial
As we step into 2026, we’re marking the milestone with exciting celebrations, including a brand-new Centennial Pickle debuting at our 26th annual New Year’s Eve Pickle Drop. With live music, fireworks, food trucks, and free pickles, it’s become a beloved tradition for families across the region. For more information on this upcoming celebration, visit our blog post here.
We also opened the Mt. Olive Pickle Parlor in downtown Mount Olive. Our Pickle Parlor is a one-of-a-kind space featuring daily pickle tastings, historic artifacts, pickle-themed merchandise, and a soda fountain inspired by our 1920s roots. For more information on our new Pickle Parlor, visit this link.
We also launched our new Pickled Onions in 2025. Our Pickled Red Onions, brined in sea salt and red wine vinegar, provide a tangy and mildly sweet flavor. Mt. Olive Pickled Sweet Onions offer a mild tangy flavor that is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of classic pickled sweet onions. Both of these delicious Pickled Onion options are made with the perfect combination of the best-quality ingredients. Mt. Olive Pickled Onions are the perfect match for burgers, sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, pizzas, and more!
A Sneak Peek at What’s Coming Next: Clearly Pickles
As we celebrate 100 years of Mt. Olive, we’re already looking ahead, and we can’t resist giving you a little sneak peek into one of the innovations coming your way next year.
Introducing Clearly Pickles, a new line designed for today’s consumers who want clean, simple ingredients without giving up the classic Mt. Olive flavor they love. Think of it as back-to-basics, the modern way: 0 additives. 0 artificial colors. Clearly Delicious.
Clearly Pickles will debut in 2026 with each item crafted with a fresh, honest approach to pickling. Naturally flavored. No dyes. No added colors. Just pure, honest flavor you can feel good about. This is just the beginning of what we're preparing for our next century. And trust us… the future of pickles is looking Clearly delicious.
100 Years Strong And Just Getting Started
From bumper crops and brine tanks to breakthroughs and best-seller lists, our story has always been about people: the farmers who grew the cucumbers, the employees who packed the jars, the customers who welcomed us into their homes, and the community that believed in us from day one.
Our founders’ guiding principles remain the same:
- Make a quality product
- Deliver great customer service
- Be a progressive, people-first employer
Today, Mt. Olive Pickles packs and sells well over 230 million jars of pickles, peppers and relishes annually, dominating the US retail pickle market.
Here’s to the next century at the Corner of Cucumber & Vine, and to everyone who helped make Mt. Olive Pickle an American classic.
Thank you for being part of our story.
