Miss Jenny’s Pickles to shut down Today
- By Fran Daniel BH Media – Re-posted from News & Record
Bruce Chapman/Winston-Salem Journal
Miss Jenny’s Pickles were featured on an episode of “West Texas Investors Club”
WINSTON-SALEM — Miss Jenny’s Pickles, which started eight years ago in a church kitchen, is shutting down today, Jenny Fulton, the company’s owner, said Tuesday.
In describing her closing announcement, Fulton said, “Today stinks.”
Fulton said one of the reasons for the shutdown is increasing competition from large pickle-makers.
In addition to Fulton, the company, officially named Old Orchard Foods LLC, has one other full-time employee, a warehouse manager, and three part-time employees.
“It is with mixed emotions to announce the closing of a company that has been my passion for the past eight years,” said Fulton. “I have such gratitude for everyone that has supported me during this amazing journey.”
Fulton co-founded Miss Jenny’s Pickles in 2009 with Ashlee Furr, who left the company in 2015.
Fulton started Miss Jenny’s Pickles at Fountain of Life church in Kernersville. When the business outgrew the space, it moved to the Winston Lake YMCA then to its current headquarters in Kernersville.
Back in the company’s early days, most large pickle-makers did not offer additive- and preservative-free options, Fulton said. Miss Jenny’s did.
“I saw this as a huge opportunity and created the “No Junk In Our Jar” product line,” she said. “Now you can find pickles without artificial colorings or chemicals nationwide. Knowing that we produced a great product and were part of the change in the pickle category gives me great pride by giving consumers a healthier choice.”
She said that the company’s distribution grew to more than 1,200 stores in the United States and included an international footprint with exports to China, Canada and the United Kingdom.
At its peak employment in its initial years, when everything was done by hand, Miss Jenny’s Pickles had 25 employees.
Today, the company is down to five people, including Fulton and a full-time warehouse manager. Three part-time employees work when needed for projects.
“I’ve reached out to local businesses here in Kernersville, trying to find her a place,” Fulton said of the warehouse manager.
In the past seven years, Miss Jenny’s has been showcased on a number of national shows, including “60 Minutes” and Fulton has more than 100 public speaking engagements from North Carolina to Slovakia.
Miss Jenny’s Pickles was also featured in 2015 on CNBC’s “West Texas Investors Club,” which allows entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas to multimillionaires Rooster McConaughey and Butch Gilliam.
Fulton asked the investors for $250,000 for a 20 percent equity in her company.
Fulton said although Miss Jenny’s Pickles made a deal on the show, “They didn’t actually ever invest any money with us.”
Fulton said that limited quantities of Miss Jenny’s Pickles are still available at these retailers: Harris Teeter, Ingles, Lowe’s Foods, Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Company’s Coming, Musten & Crutchfield, Salem Kitchen, Fred’s General Mercantile and local specialty stores.
Fulton is still figuring out her next move, but first she’s going on a long-planned trip to France.
“It’s been planned for over a year, so I’m going to France,” Fulton said. “Then I’m going to come back and reset, and figure it out.”
Fran Daniel is a reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal. Contact her at fdaniel@wsjournal.com and 336-727-7366.
