Mt. Olive Pickles One Step Closer to Winning “Coolest Thing Made in NC”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 13, 2022
CONTACT:
NC Chamber: Vanessa Gray
(336) 202-5266
Lynn Williams, Public Relations Manager
919.581.3628 lwilliams@mtolivepickles.com
Mt. Olive Pickles One Step Closer to Winning “Coolest Thing Made in NC”
NC Chamber’s statewide contest champions manufacturing community’s impact and innovation
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, the NC Chamber announced that Mt. Olive Pickle Co. is among the 31 semifinalists—15 for the medium-to-large business category and 16 for the small business category—for its annual “Coolest Thing Made in NC” online competition, which began with 80 nominees. In the first round of voting, right at 20,000 votes were cast across the field of candidates.
“Mt. Olive is proud to be the #1 best-selling brand of pickles, peppers and relishes in the United States,” said Greg Smith, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “We are equally proud that we are headquartered right here in our hometown of Mount Olive, North Carolina, and have been for nearly 100 years.”
New for 2022, the contest will recognize two winners as opposed to one: one for businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and one for businesses with 100+ employees.
“We encourage our fans to vote in the Coolest Thing Made in NC,” Smith added. “We think our iconic kosher dill flavor is the coolest. The perfect meal requires the perfect pickle.”
This is the third year that the NC Chamber has held the popular, public-driven contest, which spotlights North Carolina’s cutting-edge manufacturing industry—an industry that generates more than 17% of the gross state product and employs more than 10% of the state’s workforce.
“Congratulations goes to Mt. Olive Pickles for advancing to the semifinals,” said NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido. “We are grateful to the entire manufacturing community – the backbone of our state’s economy for more than a century. As we always say at the NC Chamber: what’s made in North Carolina makes North Carolina.”
“These 31 impressive semifinalists show that innovation is thriving in every corner of the state, and we look forward to a strong competition in the next round,” said North Carolina Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding.
The North Carolina Farm Bureau is serving as the Presenting Sponsor of the online competition, and Business North Carolina is this year’s Media Partner. As the exclusive North Carolina affiliate for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the NC Chamber knows that a strong manufacturing industry is crucial to the state’s economic and competitive success. The North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) is collaborating on the annual contest as a Supporting Organization.
How to Vote:
Go to coolestthingmadeinnc.com to vote for the coolest thing made in NC. The field of candidates will narrow with each round of voting, and the winning product will be revealed on Thursday, October 6, the day before National Manufacturing (MFG) Day. October is Manufacturing Month, and MFG Day, organized nationally by the NAM and The Manufacturing Institute, highlights the rewarding career opportunities of modern manufacturing.
Join the contest’s social media campaign by following #CoolestThingMadeinNC. In addition to receiving a trophy, the victorious company and product will be featured in NC Chamber and Business North Carolina publications, podcasts, social and digital media, among additional statewide publicity efforts. Information on last year’s winner and runners-up can be found here.
“The Coolest Thing Made in NC” Nominees (in alphabetical order by manufacturing location):
Medium-to-Large Business Category
Manufacturing Location Semifinalist
Durham – Wolfspeed’s Silicon Carbide
Elizabeth City – TCOM Aerostats
Greensboro – HondaJet EliteS
Henderson – NUTRO Dog Food
Kernersville – John Deere’s 470 P-Tier Excavator
Mebane – Morinaga Hi-CHEW Candy
Mount Holly and Wilmington – National Gypsum’s PURPLE XP Drywall
Mount Olive – Mt. Olive Pickles
Pine Hall – Wieland Finned Tubes
Salisbury – Cheerwine
Sanford – Caterpillar’s Cat® 299D3 XE Compact Track Loader
Shelby – HURST Jaws of Life Rescue tool system
Stony Point – T-Rex Brute Force tape
Troutman – C.R. Onsrud’s 5-Axis C-Series Router
Winston-Salem – Cook Medical’s Hemospray Device
Small Business Category
City Semifinalist
Asheboro – LipLidz Cocktail Glasses
Asheboro and Asheville – (Hand-sewn in these locations) The Shibumi Shade
Benson – Shiners Stash Blood Mary Beef Jerky
Denver – WaterDog Adventure Gear’s WAG Boarding Steps
Graham – Benevolence Farm Healing Salve
Greensboro BeachBUB Umbrella System
Chapel Hill and Pittsboro – Eclipse Magnetically Sealed CPAP mask, by BleepSleep
Hendersonville – Byer’s Precision Fabricated Panels
Holly Springs – SOLOCART
King’s Mountain – Appalachian Gear Company’s All-Paca Hoodie
Nashville – George’s BBQ Sauce
Raleigh – Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce
Sanford – Old Glory 1350 Handcrafted American Flags
Smyrna – Crab Pot Christmas Trees by Fisherman’s Creations
Weaverville – A-B Emblem’s Official NASA Patch
Wilson – Artisan Leaf Handcrafted Tobacco Leaf Tables and Surfaces
About Mt. Olive Pickle Company
Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc. is located at the Corner of Cucumber & Vine in Mount Olive, North Carolina. Local business leaders formally organized it in 1926 as a way to create a new market for area farmers. Today, Mt. Olive Pickle packs and sells well over 200 million jars of pickles, peppers and relishes annually, dominating the US retail pickle market. The company employs about 1,100 Pickle People in its Mount Olive operations.
About the NC Chamber
The NC Chamber works to research, develop, advocate, and communicate for solutions and policies that produce a nationally competitive business climate in North Carolina. For more information, visit ncchamber.com.
About North Carolina Farm Bureau
North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation was formed in 1936 as a non-profit general farm organization to serve farmers and provide a unified voice for the interests and needs of the farming community. For more information, visit https://www.ncfb.org/.
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