Joseph M. McClure, Co-founder, McClure’s Pickles

Joseph M. McClureSemifinalist, Consumer Products
In 2006, after years of making pickles in their tiny Michigan kitchen and using their great-grandmother Lala’s recipe, Joseph McClure and his brother, Bob, started McClure’s Pickles. Six years later, the company has expanded and now produces relish, bloody mary mix and other products. The McClures credit their steady growth to putting the customer and product first. They place all of their efforts into the best possible product and service and let their customers’ word-of-mouth do the rest.
Although their products are now sold in major retail chains across North America, the United Kingdom and Australia, Joe McClure can still be found greeting customers at the Detroit farmer’s market where they began selling the pickles.
The personal engagement McClure’s Pickles has with its customers, in person and through social networks, continues to shape its products. In fact, in 2011, a customer’s online suggestion resulted in collaboration with Detroit’s Better Made Potato Chips to create the McClure’s Pickles chip line. McClure’s Pickles continues to grow and would like to add to its product line, continue to partner with other companies and expand the company’s capacity to accelerate its future growth.
The company recently moved from a 3,000-square-foot facility into a 20,000-squarefoot warehouse. It currently operates in about 15 states, Canada and Australia but plans on branching out to other major metropolitan cities in the United States.
As Detroit recovers from a tough economic hit, the move has become symbolic of new beginnings for many residents. From donating products for others’ new business launches to mentoring and providing warehouse space, the McClures place a high priority on fostering fellow growth.
HOW TO REACH: McClure’s Pickles, www.mcclurespickles.com