Grillo’s Pickles is the Gen Z brand of the moment.

Gen Z loves an irreverent product, from ironic religious streetwear to star-shaped pimple patches. Grillo's Pickles built a cult following on this obsession, turning a sidewalk pickle cart into a full-blown lifestyle brand, mainly through tasty merchandise. Wetting its beak at Urban Outfitters, Grillo’s lifestyle product brings in upwards of $200,000, recently showcased at a standalone pop-up shop in downtown NYC. Grillo’s overall business continues to grow well over 25% annually, according to a brand spokesperson. Leveraging its iconography, Grillo’s has expanded into other consumable categories through collaborations, such as a pickle-flavored hard seltzer, hummus, and hot sauce, to name a few.

Hard pickle beverages pick up steam.

Spritz Society just launched the first ever pickle-flavored sparkling wine in collaboration with Claussen of the Kraft Heinz family. The decision to create this flavor stemmed from an April Fools’ prank Spritz played on social media in 2022, where they fake-launched the drink to an overwhelmingly positive reaction from fans and followers. Spritz turned the joke into a reality a year later. It’s a perfect pickle partnership for founder Ben Soffer, who keeps kosher. If you're more of a beer person, try Sam Adams’ new pickle brew, The Real Dill, or Bootstrap Brewing’s golden ale, Pickle Me Up.

The wellness world got ahold of Pickleback shots.

Functional pickle shots from brands like Moju and Suckerpunch took center stage at the 2023 Sweets & Snacks Expo, promising natural electrolytes, post-workout hydration, muscle cramp relief, and digestion aid. Scaling the gut health sentiment, Olive My Pickle peddles value-sized bags of fermented pickles and pickle juices with a subscription offering. While we prefer the salty shots that get you buzzed at a dive bar, we suppose these are a solid, saleable alternative. For further inspiration, we recommend tossing back one of seven Pickleback shot varieties at The Belfry in New York City's East Village.

Pickles’ popularity spurs specialty stores and collaborations.

Gourmet New York City pickle shop The Pickle Guys makes them the old fashioned way using an Eastern European family recipe across a variety of pickled goods including fruits, olives, peppers, and tomatoes. It’s not just a New York thing. Dominos Japan just dropped a Pickle Pizza featuring over a pound of sliced dill pickles, billed as a “dedication to pickle lovers,” while HelloFresh created a limited-edition pickle box for National Pickle Month. The Doritos’ Cool Ranch-Tangy Pickle tortilla chip of 2021 also still lives rent-free in our minds.

Other honorable-mention pickle products:

Trader Joe's Pickle Seasoning

Rick's Picks Snacking Pickles

Van Holten's Pickle-Ice Freeze Pops

And finally, our favorite spots for a thick pickle slice:

Second Avenue Deli

Joseph Leonard

Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches