The Origin Story of Snickle Snack Co.

What do you get when you put the minds of a creative director, recipe developer, and experienced entrepreneur together? Apparently, the answer is Father Fritz Snickle Gourmet Pickle Mix. Dan Stewart, Travis Jenkins and Michael Doss are the visionaries behind Snickle Snack Co. This locally founded company currently produces three types of DIY pickle mixes, and they even have plans for more types of snack offerings currently in the works.

Stewart and Jenkins collaborate on food projects at their day jobs at Bon Aperture Productions, where Stewart oversees the creative process of culinary content creation as the creative director, and Jenkins is a content creative and lead food stylist who also assists with recipe development. Doss owns American Heritage Brands with his wife, Aisha. The couple wholesales their signature products like fire starters, candles, perfume, clothing, blankets and more in about 2,500 stores globally.

A mutual friend initially introduced Doss to Stewart, and the two entrepreneurs instantly hit it off and added each other on social media. Doss came across an old branding prototype that Stewart made for the at-the-time-fictitous Fritz Snickle Gourmet Pickles. It wasn’t long after that the idea became a reality, thanks to the trio’s unique skill sets and follow-through.

Although the business is still less than a year old, the pickle mixes are available in ten stores all across America. You can order them online at snicklesnacks.com or purchase them locally at American Heritage Brands, 5 Pound Apparel and Springfield Mercantile Co.

Father Fritz Snickle Gourmet Pickle Mix comes in three flavors. While cucumbers are a go-to for any of the mixes, the Snickle Snack Co. crew says you can try them out on anything from okra to strawberries. Jenkins, who developed the recipes, broke down the flavor profiles in each for us.

Divine Dill

This classic flavor features all the flavors you’d expect out of a dill pickle, including garlic and dill, but with a little twist. Cinnamon, believe it or not, is the secret ingredient that gives the mix its true depth.

Purgatory

This one gives your pickles just the right amount of spice with a mix of chili peppers, peppercorns and bay leaf. “The goal with this one was to have some heat that builds but doesn’t melt your face off,” Jenkins says.

Sweet Sereni-Tea

Jenkins calls this one the wild card. It’s a sweet tea pickling kit with demerara sugar, lemon citrus and black tea. It’s well-rounded with sweet and bitter notes.