Gen Z friends quit their jobs to start a pickle company, now valued at Rs 81.6 crore

For two women, a shared habit of exchanging pickle videos on social media eventually became a business idea. The two college friends quit their jobs in 2023 and went on to build a food startup that was most recently valued at $8.5 million, or Rs 81.6 crore, as reported by CNBC Make It.

Marcus and Bakhtiar, who graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022, began sharing pickle-related videos in 2023. That summer, they decided to leave their jobs and explore whether the trend could be turned into a business.

Their Los Angeles-based startup, Good Girl Snacks, launched its first product, Hot Girl Pickles, in February 2024.HOW A SOCIAL MEDIA TREND BECAME A BUSINESS IDEA

The founders say their interest in pickles began with the pickle-related content they were seeing on TikTok. Rather than keeping the interest limited to social media, they decided to build a business around it.

They sold their first pickles directly to consumers through their website in February 2024, as reported by CNBC Make It.

While building the company, Marcus and Bakhtiar sought advice from USC classmates, co-founders of pasta sauce startup Sauz. They also approached industry experts through LinkedIn to learn about areas including funding, operations, and logistics.

The pair initially raised an undisclosed amount from friends and family.THE NEXT STAGE

Good Girl Snacks initially focused on selling its products online. The founders later applied to sell through grocery retailers Erewhon and Whole Foods, despite having a limited operating history.

Both applications were approved in 2025, allowing the company to expand beyond its initial direct-to-consumer model.

The startup now sells Hot Girl Pickles online and through retailers including Whole Foods Market and Erewhon. It also sells grab-and-go packets through its website and smaller grocery stores, reports CNBC Make It.FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO A GROWING STARTUP

Social media remains central to Good Girl Snacks. The brand currently has around 180,000 Instagram followers.

The company has not disclosed its revenue or profitability. It was most recently valued at $8.5 million after raising a $3 million seed round in March, as reported by CNBC Make It.

Marcus and Bakhtiar plan to expand beyond pickles with additional snacks and use a similar branding and marketing approach in other categories.- EndsREAD | Former Meta engineer asked for a demotion at the peak of his career. Here's why