Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Mammone.
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Working as a chef at an iconic Pittsburgh restuarant during the Pandemic, Mark decided to reexplore his passion for pickling and fermentation as an ode to his Croatian grandmother. Before long, his successful pickle company, Bridge City Brinery, expanded to include two award winning local food trucks.
Now he is proud to return to his briney beginnings and announce the relaunch of his New York Times featured pickling company that focuses on the nuances of bold flavor, technique, and the love of traditional methods.
As a nod to his hometown, each of his pickles are inspired by and named after one of Pittsburgh’s many iconic bridges. From the bold, briney, punch of the Smithfield Sour, to the subtle heat of the Smokey Hot Metal, or the sweet tang of the Sister Bridge Sweets, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Perfect for snacking or adding to your favorite dish!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like anything else starting a business has its challenges. When I first started the pickle company I was fermenting the cucumbers. I took what I learned from my grandma with making sauerkraut, then adapting those techniques to making kimchi, and the pickles soon followed. Fermenting pickles in the large batches I was making would lead to issues with some of the buckets not turning out the right way, temperature and light fluctuations also adding to batches being off. and of course fluctuations in product pricing.
We’ve been impressed with Bridge CIty Brinery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bridge City Brinery — Pittsburgh Born, Nationally Loved
A lifetime of learning and keeping with traditional rooted technique; and started from my time in Los Angelas back in 2014, and the moving back to Pittsburgh to officially launch in Pittsburgh in 2020, Bridge City Brinery is a time honored and crafted pickle company built around one simple idea: make a pickles with more flavor, more personality.
Founder and chef Mark Mammone began experimenting with old-school brining and fermentation, developing pickles that traded ordinary, one-dimensional flavor for something bold, tangy and unmistakably Pittsburgh. The original process relied on fresh dill, onion and garlic and an old-fashioned brine rather than simply soaking cucumbers in vinegar. What started as experimentation quickly developed into something much bigger.
Bridge City Brinery grew beyond the jar and into Pittsburgh’s food scene, with its pickles becoming the foundation for creative sandwiches, burgers and pickle-inspired dishes. The brand gained a following through local events, food trucks and appearances at Pittsburgh’s famous Picklesburgh celebration.
Through it all, the philosophy has remained the same: “Not your run of the dill pickle.”
Today, Bridge City Brinery is taking its Pittsburgh roots to a much larger audience. The company earned a coveted Golden Ticket through Walmart’s Open Call, giving its pickle recipes an opportunity to reach Walmart shelves.
For Mammone, that growth doesn’t mean leaving Pittsburgh behind. It’s about taking a products created from his childhood, and introducing it to pickle lovers everywhere.
Locally owned. Locally made. Nationally loved.
Bridge City Brinery represents the personality of the city that created it — hardworking, a little unconventional and never afraid of big flavor. From a chef experimenting with brine to a growing Pittsburgh brand reaching customers across the country, Bridge City Brinery is proving there’s plenty of room to shake up something as classic as the American pickle.
And they’re just getting started.
Any big plans?
Always focusing on the future. Growth being at the forefront. at launch, the pickles will be in 30 stores through the western PA region including some stores in Ohio, and Weirton, WV. Beyond the Walmart opportunity, I hope to grow into more chains, and expand the reach to eventually be the entire country
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bridgecitybrinery.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/bridgecitybrinery
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bridgecitybrinery
