Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles Update | Shark Tank Season 5
Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles was a business idea gotten from Lynnae’s great-grandma’s secret pickle recipe. As demand grew, she teamed up with her friend, Ali Cullinane, to turn it into a business. Their product was a line of gourmet pickles made from that old family recipe, using fresh ingredients and bold flavors. The pickles were marketed as a premium, all-natural alternative to the standard grocery-store kind. Will they get a deal? Let’s find out in our Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles update and pitch recap.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles after
Lynnae and Ali entered
In terms of Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles update, the company rebranded to Mrs. Pickles Gourmet after they aired on
| Shark | Result |
| Kevin O’Leary | No offer |
| Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
| Lori Greiner | No offer |
| Robert Herjavec | No offer |
| Mark Cuban | No offer |
Shark Tank Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles Pitch
- Entrepreneurs: Lynnae Schneller and Ali Cullinane
- Business: Savory cake balls
- Ask: $125,000 for 20% equity
- Result: No deal
- Shark: None
Lynnae and Ali told the sharks that their business started after Lynnae learned her great-grandmother’s “Grandma Toots’” secret recipe and began making pickles for friends and family.
When people started asking to buy them, she decided to turn it into a business.
She partnered with her friend Ali, and together they converted a small trailer into a commercial kitchen. In their first week, they sold over 1,000 jars, proving there was strong demand.
Lynnae shared that the recipe was a family secret, joking that Ali had to marry her brother to officially become part of the “pickle family.”
So far, they had made $144,000 in sales and were already in discussions with Target.
They also mentioned a local event they created called the “Pickle Run,” which drew national attention and helped them market the brand.
However, the sharks quickly started raising concerns. Mark Cuban said he respected their work ethic but didn’t think they could survive once larger food companies noticed them.
He warned that competitors could easily produce similar products at a lower cost and push them out of the market. He went out.
Lori Greiner didn’t see herself as a customer. She admitted she didn’t like sweet pickles at all and couldn’t invest in something she wouldn’t buy. She went out next.
Kevin O’Leary agreed with Mark’s reasoning. He didn’t think the business was scalable enough and said bluntly that he didn’t want pickles in his portfolio. He liked their story but couldn’t see big profits, so he stepped out.
Meanwhile, Robert Herjavec focused on the pricing. He said the $6.99 per jar price tag was too high for the average customer and would make it hard to compete in grocery stores. Like Lori, he also wasn’t a fan of sweet pickles. He decided not to invest.
That left Barbara Corcoran as their last hope. She told Lynnae and Ali that she admired their creativity, marketing, and determination. But she didn’t think they needed a partner at this stage.
Barbara said they’d likely regret giving away equity too early when they could still build value on their own. She also went out.
In the end, the two walked away still owning their company and holding onto Grandma Toots’ secret recipe.
Now, let’s see where the company is today in our Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles update.
Shark Tank Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles Update
Our Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles update found that things didn’t quite go as planned after their
When the friends, now turned sisters-in-law, left the tank without a deal, they tried to raise funds on Indiegogo, setting a goal of $62,500. Sadly, they were only able to net in $781 before shutting the campaign down.
On the bright side, Lynnae and Ali received a significant amount of media attention. Their pickles showed up in major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, Ladies’ Home Journal, USA Today, CNN, and even Oprah.
They also struck a deal with QVC, where they sold three-jar bundles that included their spicy “Hot Mama,” a classic sour dill, and a sweet-and-sour flavor.
In 2015, Lynnae decided to take a different path when her application to become a Chick-fil-A franchise owner in Tacoma, Washington, was approved.
Around the same time, she handed over Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles to Aly, who became the sole owner and rebranded it as Mrs. Pickles Gourmet.
Over the next two years, Mrs. Pickles built a small but loyal following around Tacoma. They hosted an annual “pickle hunt,” joined farmers’ markets, and partnered with local restaurants like Stack’s Burgers to feature the “Mrs. Pickles Burger.”
The brand also ran community drives and found creative ways to keep customers engaged, like pairing pickle jars with ice cream promotions at Kroger.
At its peak, our Lynnae’s Gourment Pickles update found that the brand’s products were available in more than 3,000 stores nationwide, including Costco, Kroger, and Sprouts.
But after the rebrand, the business never quite regained momentum. Its website and social pages eventually went dark, and no official reason for the closure was shared.
According to our Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles update, as of December 2017, Aly decided it was time to also step away from the business.
She posted on Instagram that she was hanging up her green polka-dot apron for good to stay home with her three young kids. According to her LinkedIn, Mrs. Pickles Gourmet closed in early 2018.
Meanwhile, Lynnae kept growing her Chick-fil-A career. She opened her first location in 2015 and added a second in 2019, even giving away a year’s worth of free meals to her first 100 customers.
At the time of this writing, local news outlets reported her involvement in Chick-fil-A’s “Shared Table” program, donating surplus food to Tacoma Rescue Mission.
As for Aly, she later went on to launch two new ventures: Let’s Doula This, LLC, a birth support service, and Renovation Sells South Sound, a presale home renovation company.
As much as we loved the energy brought to the Tank by these two entrepreneurs, it’s sad to see that their pickle dream never came to fruition.
Unfortunately, this will be our final Lynnae’s Gourmet Pickles update.
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Marvin Uzor
Marvin Uzor is a content contributor for Shark Tank Recap. He specializes in crafting engaging, well-researched content that delve into the latest Shark Tank stories, keeping readers hooked. He has a soft spot for his favorite Shark Tank companies, Bombas and Doorbot, known for their innovation and impact.