Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Do you love pickles? Well, come try some of Chris & Eric’s Pickles on campus! I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Moon (Cohort 42) and Hudson Grill (Cohort 42) about their new business, Chris & Eric’s Pickles.

Founders Chris Moon and Eric Bennett holding their pickle jars!

To begin, I asked them what started their passion for pickles. “Honestly, we’ve just always enjoyed eating them. It’s really fun to play around with different flavors and is such a good snack or topping for meals too.”

Grill, Head of Operations for the business, noted that the business actually briefly began in high school, but due to time commitment issues, they’d been unable to focus on it. Last semester, however, they decided to delve back into the business.

Running a business is definitely no easy task. Moon then walked through the logistics of the business. “We try to meet at least once a week on campus to make a batch of pickles together. It can sometimes be difficult to schedule since we all have different things going on, but we try to make it work.” Grill mentioned how sometimes members can even sacrifice a missed class in order to catch up on orders. “It’s definitely a work in progress with being organized and making enough time. It’s something we are still learning.”

As of right now, the business mostly sells their pickles on campus and to family and friends. Every Friday, Moon and Grill try to sell their products out on McKeldin Mall to spread the word; they even offer free samples to students! The group definitely has thought about expanding to an online business in the future, but they are still working on finding ways to deliver and get the products shipped out.

To conclude the conversation, I asked Moon and Grill any advice they have for starting a business or anything they wish they would’ve known sooner. “Definitely stay organized. It might be super exciting to just jump into the process and throw your hands around anything, but it’s much more manageable to break things up into tasks and delegate assignments to everyone.” The group mentioned one of the most difficult tasks for them is managing the amount of supplies they have and when to make new orders. 

However, Moon mentioned the importance of determination and having fun. “It can be frustrating when things don’t work out well the first time, but it’s really important to keep your head up and enjoy the process. It’s something we enjoy doing for fun. Honestly, I think starting a business is a great learning experience for anyone; there are so many different things that you can do.”

After speaking with these two, I definitely feel inspired to start my own business or side hustle. But more importantly, I’m hungry and ready to try some free samples this Friday at 1pm at McKeldin Mall! 

Pickle jars being sold on McKeldin Mall