Grillo’s Pickles Maintains Niche Status with Big Food Collabs

Grillo’s Pickles has successfully maintained its niche status in the competitive pickle market by focusing on high-quality, authentic products. At the same time, the brand has strategically collaborated with major food companies, expanding its reach without compromising its core values. These partnerships allow Grillo’s to grow while staying true to its roots and offering a unique, premium product.

A senior executive shared that the company, which recently introduced a Bloody Mary mix in collaboration with The Campbell’s Company’s V8, is staying true to its authenticity by being selective with its partnerships.

Almost 20 years after starting as a wooden food cart in Boston, Grillo’s Pickles is using word-of-mouth marketing and limited-time collaborative products to fuel organic growth.

The brand is recognized for its tangy pickles found in grocery store refrigerators and its distinctive, amusing packaging design. After being acquired by packaged baked goods maker King’s Hawaiian in 2021 for an undisclosed amount, the brand has grown through unique collaborations. These products have included pickle-flavored beer and even toothpaste.

“We discovered that people love the pickle flavor, whether it’s in chips, pretzels, nuts, or drinks,” said Eddie Andre, Grillo’s vice president of branding, who has been with the company since it started.

Andre explained that the DIY mentality shaped the brand’s independent spirit. When it began in 2008, most people still used cash, and Twitter was just emerging, so the founders would tweet their daily locations.

“We would set up downtown and sell two pickle spears for $1, just classic dills wrapped in foil,” Andre recalled. “People weren’t sure if we were a pickle brand, a skate brand, or a band. They didn’t know what it was.”

By utilizing social media, the brand caught the attention of Whole Foods, which started selling Grillo’s Pickles in its North Atlantic stores by 2010.

The brand continues to expand with limited-time products created in partnership with other popular food and beverage brands. In October, Grillo’s teamed up with Campbell’s V8 to create a nonalcoholic Bloody Mary cocktail mix. Last month, they launched Pickle de Gallo Schmear with New York City’s PopUp Bagels. In the beverage sector, Grillo’s partnered with Two Robbers for a hard seltzer flavor in 2023.

Previously, Grillo’s quirky products were mainly the result of collaborations with fellow emerging food and beverage companies. The V8 Bloody Mary mix marked the brand’s first partnership with a legacy brand. Andre said, “We saw an opportunity to create a fantastic product that combines the youthful energy of Grillo’s with the established presence of V8 for a fun experience.”

Grillo’s devoted fan base, many of whom identify with the punk rock scene, does not view the collaboration with a well-known brand as the company “selling out,” Andre noted.

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Source: fooddive‍