Eric Bennett and Chris Moon originally met playing the drums in sixth-grade band class.
After ten years of friendship, becoming business partners was a natural next step for the two University of Maryland juniors. From band class to McKeldin Mall, a fully student-run startup was born: Chris and Eric’s Small Batch Pickles.
“Pickles specifically, there this thing that everyone eats, but no one really makes their own pickles,” said Bennett, a junior Chinese and computer science major.
In between classes and their professional business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, Moon — a junior accounting and finance major — and Bennett made time to create new, unique pickle flavors, such as Hot Honey and Old Bay.
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Each batch of pickles is homemade. Bennett and Moon assign tasks to their employees in their makeshift production line. Moon said he’s in charge of operating the mandoline slicer, while Bennett labels the jars and other employees make the pickles themselves.
“We make smaller batches once a week where we just try combining different amounts of ingredients and taste test them,” said Moon.
Bennett and Moon already have big plans for the future of their business. They hope to eventually sell their pickles at this university’s Farmers Market, Shop Made in Maryland on Route 1 or maybe even Whole Foods.
Their ambitious attitudes have played an integral role in the expansion of their business. Moon also attributes their success to one of the university’s business classes, and of course to Bennett.
While their partnership is strong on its own, the two students have expanded their business to include a small staff. Employees work on a broad spectrum of tasks featuring marketing, legal issues and product development.
“We have an interesting dynamic here because sure they’re employees, but they’re also our friends,” Moon said.
Marketing their brand has been a challenge, but sophomore Gurnoor Gill, who is enrolled in letters and sciences, has stepped in to help.
“[Marketing,] it’s kind of like a puzzle piece, making sure that all the colors are right, and the pictures look good, and you’re presenting the company in a way that matches all of the employees,” Gill said.
The team has worked hard on creating a cohesive brand and has even sold pickles on McKeldin Mall to garner student attention. In a nod to this university, their logo depicts a whimsical turtle wearing a chef’s hat.
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For Gill, working with a team of students to successfully run a business can seem daunting, but the experience has been immensely rewarding.
“It’s a group of people who are all really passionate about what they do and they like to have fun and make sure everyone else is enjoying and learning something out of it,” Gill said.
Even after only a year of business, the pickle startup received a grant from the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at this university.
Regardless of whether you like pickles or not, Bennett and Moon’s business is a testament to ambition, but more importantly, friendship.
“I think neither of us is ready to let the other one quit… I don’t think I could do it alone,” Bennett said.
