The People's Pickles

03/26/2026

Update on The People’s Pickles

We will officially close retail orders on April 1, 2026. After that, we will continue fulfilling vendor relationships until inventory runs out.

I know this may come as a surprise—especially because we are doing well.

We had real momentum. There was even a path toward scaling into larger retail like Safeway. But the reality is, getting there requires working with distributors, increased production, and significantly higher costs. At that level, our margins and long-term sustainability would have been impacted.

We could have stayed smaller—continuing partnerships like Hyatt Hotels Corporation—but even that became difficult.

Our cucumber supplier moved, and the quality we built our brand on became harder to replace. At the same time, costs across the board continued to rise—ingredients, jars, labor, insurance, and operations.

And I’m going to be real—after 7 years, I’m not trying to be out here moving boxes of pickles all summer anymore.

So after April 1st, we are going to pause operations.

If the economy shifts, costs stabilize, and we can source quality ingredients again, we may bring The People’s Pickles back—possibly as a seasonal or summer program.

But for now, we’re shifting focus.

Lower the Barrier Colorado will continue to grow.

Our Workforce Training & Employment Center is expanding, our mobile trainings are reaching more communities across the state, and we’re helping people get certified and placed into jobs faster than ever.

We’re offering:
• Weekly classes
• Same-day certifications
• Direct job placement support
• Workforce housing through Pathway2Progress
• Ongoing advocacy across Colorado

And I’m proud to say—out of everyone we’ve worked with, only one person returned to prison. That’s the impact that matters most.

🙏🏾 Special thank you to those who helped make this journey possible:
Terri Cohrs
Juliana Gonzalez
The Deloitte family
Denver Foundation
BRIC Fund
EDCI
COSC
RiNo Art District

Your support, funding, and belief allowed us to create opportunity, build a social enterprise, and impact lives in a real way.

This isn’t an ending—it’s a transition.

Thank you for supporting The People’s Pickles.
And thank you for continuing to support the mission.

Marcus Weaver
Founder, The People’s Pickles
Executive Director, Lower The Barrier Colorado

Contact: [email protected]
720 939 2811

03/22/2026

🥒 The People’s Pickles — Recipe of the Week

Looking for something creamy, tangy, and guaranteed to hit at any table? This week we’re bringing you a classic Dill Pickle Dip made with The People’s Pickles—fresh, bold, and full of flavor. Perfect for game day, family gatherings, or just leveling up your snack game.

🧑‍🍳 How to Make Dill Pickle Dip
Ingredients:
• 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup finely chopped The People’s Pickles
• 1–2 tbsp fresh dill (optional but recommended)
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• 3 tbsp – ¼ cup pickle juice (adjust to taste)

🥄 Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
2. Stir in chopped pickles, fresh dill, and garlic salt.
3. Add pickle juice (start small, then adjust for your perfect consistency).
4. Mix well and serve immediately—or chill up to 4 hours for even more flavor.

🔥 What to Serve It With:
• Wings, fries, onion rings, potato wedges
• Fresh veggies (carrots, peppers, broccoli)
• Chips, pretzels, crackers

❄️ Storage Tip:
Best served fresh or chilled short-term (up to 4 hours).
Do not freeze—cream-based dips will separate.

😂 Pickle Joke of the Week:
Why did the pickle get promoted?
👉 Because it was kind of a big dill.

🛒 Order Your Jars
Fresh batches available now:
🌐 www.thepeoplespickles.com

💚 Support the Mission

Every jar of The People’s Pickles helps fund workforce training, transitional housing, and second-chance employment opportunities through Lower the Barrier Colorado.

We’re not just making pickles—we’re creating pathways.

Learn more or support:
🌐 www.lowerthebarrierco.org

We preserve possibility.

03/08/2026

🥒 The People’s Pickles — Recipe of the Week

Looking for a creamy, tangy dip that’s perfect for chips, veggies, wings, or game day snacks? Try our People’s Pickles Ranch Dip — quick to make and packed with bold dill flavor. This simple recipe uses finely chopped The People’s Pickles, giving the dip the perfect crunch and fresh pickle kick.

Ingredients
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayo
• ½ cup finely chopped The People’s Pickles
• 1 tbsp pickle juice
• 1 ranch seasoning packet

Prep
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and mayo. Add the chopped pickles and pickle juice, then sprinkle in the ranch seasoning packet. Mix until smooth and fully combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let the flavors come together. Serve with chips, veggies, wings, or crackers.

🥒 Pickle Joke of the Week:
Why did the pickle become a chef?
Because it knew how to relish the moment.

🛒 Order jars today:
www.thepeoplespickles.com

💚 Support the Mission
Every jar helps support job training and second-chance opportunities through Lower the Barrier Colorado.

Donate or learn more:
www.lowerthebarrierco.org

We preserve possibility.

02/20/2026

🖤💚💛 BLACK HISTORY MONTH — PICKLE EDITION

Did you know?

The People’s Pickles is proud to be **one of a very few Black-owned commercial pickle companies in the United States and among the first Black-owned pickle brands documented in Colorado and nationally.

Food preservation has deep roots in African and African American history. Long before refrigeration, pickling and preserving were survival skills — protecting harvests, stretching resources, and sustaining families through uncertain times.

After emancipation, many Black families built small food businesses — selling pickles, relishes, chow-chow, and preserves — creating economic independence in systems that tried to deny it.

Preservation was power.
Ownership was resistance.
Enterprise was freedom.

Since 2019, The People’s Pickles has been serving St. Louis family-style recipes while creating real workforce opportunities through Lower the Barrier Colorado.

Every jar supports:

✔ Work experience
✔ Forklift & Flagger certifications
✔ Resume and interview coaching
✔ Direct job placement

Most participants average just 21 days before placement.

This is not just food.
This is economic mobility in a jar.

🥒 **Pickle Joke of the Week:**
Why do pickles make great entrepreneurs?
Because they know how to stay cool under pressure and still bring the flavor.

🛍 Order today:
www.thepeoplespickles.com

Support by ordering, donating, volunteering, or joining the mission.

Lower the Barrier Colorado removes obstacles to employment and economic mobility through same-day certifications, workforce pathways, and second-chance opportunities.

The People’s Pickles is a social enterprise of LTBCO — proving business can preserve more than produce.
Visit lowerthebarrierco.org to learn more about our workforce training, workforce housing and how to support or volunteer.

We preserve possibility.

02/06/2026

🏈🥒 SB 60 SPECIAL EDITION – GAME DAY SNACK ALERT 🥒🏈

Looking for a winning Super Bowl snack that’s big on flavor and easy to make?

Meet your new favorite:
Pastrami Pickle Roll-Ups—salty, creamy, crunchy, and guaranteed to disappear before halftime.

Pastrami Pickle Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
• Pastrami slices
• Cream cheese + blue cheese
• The People’s Pickles
(any flavor works!)

Instructions:
Mix cream cheese and blue cheese until smooth.
Pat pastrami and pickles dry. Spread the cheese mixture onto the pastrami, add a pickle, roll it up tight, and slice into bite-size pieces.

Serve chilled and watch them vanish.

😂 Pickle Joke of the Week
(SB 60 Edition):
Why did the pickle love the Super Bowl?
Because it knew how to relish a championship moment 🏆🥒

About The People’s Pickles
Since 2019, The People’s Pickles have been crafting award-winning, homemade, St. Louis family-recipe pickles right here in Colorado.

More than just a snack, we’re a community-driven social enterprise of Lower the Barrier Colorado, supporting workforce training, transitional employment, and second chances across the state.

🚚 Need pickles for the big game?
👉 We DILL-iver in Metro Denver
🌐 Order now: www.thepeoplespickles.com

Crunch with purpose this Super Bowl. 🥒🏈

01/18/2026

This Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a legacy rooted in dignity, opportunity, and service to others.

At The People’s Pickles, we believe change is built through compassion, second chances, and meaningful work. Every jar supports paid transitional employment and pathways forward for people overcoming barriers.

Need pickles? We Dill-iver.
👉 Order at www.thepeoplespickles.com

Want to learn more about the programs and services that carry this work forward for marginalized communities across Colorado?
👉 Visit www.lowerthebarrier.org

Let’s honor Dr. King not just with words—but with action.

01/16/2026

🥒 Advice from a wise old pickle:
Life gets sour sometimes… but that’s how the good stuff is made.

At The People’s Pickles, every jar represents more than flavor. It represents paid work, second chances, and people rebuilding their lives after incarceration, recovery, or homelessness. When you order our pickles, you’re not just upgrading your sandwich—you’re investing in real people and real progress.

✔ Crunchy
✔ Bold
✔ Made with purpose
✔ Supports workforce re-entry

Life is never a dill moment—but your next bite can be.

👉 Order now: www.thepeoplespickles.com
Because in the end, everything will be just brine.

01/15/2026

For nearly three years—and continuing today—we’ve been proud to partner with Hyatt Regency Colorado Convention Center, a corporate partner that didn’t just support our mission, but actively helped make it work.

Over roughly 30 months, this partnership resulted in more than 1,500 gallons of pickles delivered. That volume mattered. Every dollar generated went directly into paid work for people rebuilding their lives after incarceration, recovery, or homelessness. A special thank-you to Chef Eric, whose creativity and enthusiasm put our pickles on the menu—sandwiches, deviled eggs, salads, and more. Seeing our product at Hyatt still makes us giddy, but more importantly, it represents trust, belief, and opportunity.

That opportunity matters because the data matters. In 2019, Colorado’s recidivism rate hovered around 50% under traditional three-year measures. Since then, statewide trends have improved—and programs like The People’s Pickles, along with other workforce re-entry models, play a meaningful role in that progress. Employment, structure, and accountability reduce the likelihood of returning to the system.

Most employers don’t want to be the first employer after a résumé gap—but they are willing to be the second. Through Lower the Barrier Colorado, we become that first employer—providing real wages, real expectations, and real experience so people are ready for what comes next.

This program works. It has received funding, recognition, and awards—and it continues because of partners like Hyatt, customers who buy pickles, donors who invest, and a community that believes in second chances.

Support the work:
🥒 Order pickles for home or business delivery: www.thepeoplespickles.com
❤️ Donate or learn more about our programs: www.lowerthebarrierco.org
🤝 Contact us to partner, host us, or carry our product: www.lowerthebarrierco.org

We’re proud of what we’ve built—and we’re ready to grow what works.

01/05/2026

🥒 NEW YEAR. NEW JARS. SAME BIG DILL. 🥒

We’re ringing in the New Year the only way we know how—with pickles, purpose, and a whole lot of heart.

Why do pickles giggle?
Because they’re pickle-ish.

Why did the cucumber need a lawyer?
Because it was in a pickle.

We love a good pickle joke—but what we love even more is what every jar makes possible.

💚 The People’s Pickles is a social enterprise of Lower the Barrier Colorado, using food, culture, and community to:
• Create paid transitional work opportunities
• Support workforce training & certifications
• Reduce barriers to employment and housing
• Invest directly back into our neighbors

Every jar you buy helps someone take their next step forward.

✨ How to support in 2026:
🥒 Order pickles for yourself, your family, or your business
💚 Donate to support job training and workforce pathways
📦 Share our mission with your network

🔗 Order & learn more:
👉 www.thepeoplespickles.com
👉 www.lowerthebarrierco.org

Thank you for being part of our journey.
Here’s to a New Year that’s brined with purpose and full of possibility.

12/25/2025

🎄🥒 OH DILL YEAH, IT’S THE HOLIDAYS! 🥒🎄

This season, we’re feeling extra grateful and just the right amount of spicy. Thanks to YOU, our customers, supporters, and first-time pickle adventurers,
The People’s Pickles keeps doing what we love: making bold, crunchy pickles and giving back to our community, one jar at a time.

To show our appreciation, we’re turning up the heat 🔥

From now through 1/1/2026, our Sweet Hot and Hot Hot pints are on special. Because nothing says holiday cheer like a pickle that makes your eyes water a little and your heart very happy.

Whether you’re gifting, hosting, snacking, or sneaking a fork straight into the jar (we see you), now is the dill-ightful time to try us, or stock up for the New Year.

Every purchase supports a small business and a social enterprise rooted in second chances, hard work, and community love.

Feeling extra generous?
You can also support our mission by donating through our nonprofit, https://lowerbarrier.betterworld.org/

🎁 Stock up for gifting
🔥 Heat things up for the New Year
💚 Support a social enterprise

Order now at www.peoplespickles.com while supplies last.

From our brine-covered hearts to yours,
Happy Pickle Holidaze and a Crunchy New Year! 🥒✨

12/10/2025

🎄 People’s Pickles —
Holiday Dill-ivery Sale! 🎄

This holiday season, skip the crowded stores and skip the stress — we’ve got the perfect gift that brings flavor, fun, and community impact all in one jar.

Our Sweet Hot and Hot Hot pickles have become fan favorites for a reason: they’re made fresh every single week, never soggy, and always bursting with that perfect crunch.

And for the holidays, we’re making them even easier to share and enjoy.

For just $5 a pint, you can grab Sweet Hot or Hot Hot, with a minimum order of just 2 jars — and yes, we deliver!
Because we know time is tight and gift-giving shouldn’t feel like a hassle.

Every holiday order also comes with a free pickle ornament to hang on your tree or tuck into a stocking. While supplies last.

People who’ve never tried our pickles are in for something special — this is the moment to see what makes People’s Pickles the talk of Denver.

Every purchase supports local workforce development and hands-on employment training for justice-impacted Coloradans.

To order the special, visit: www.thepeoplespickles.com

To support our housing, training, and workforce programs, or to learn more, please visit: www.lowerthebarrierco.org

Donations help us continue to open doors and build pathways for individuals seeking a fresh start.l

12/09/2025

🌟 Today is Colorado Gives Day. Support Lower the Barrier Workforce Training & Transitional Housing 🌟
All donations are tax-deductible

https://gofund.me/1b91f502a

Friends, family, and community partners — we need your support.

Lower the Barrier is committed to transforming lives through workforce training, transitional housing, and wraparound support for individuals striving to rebuild their futures. Every day, we help people overcome real barriers by providing the tools, skills, and stability they need to secure employment and long-term independence.

Your generous donation—no matter the amount—directly funds:
✅ Workforce training programs
✅ Safe transitional housing
✅ Career coaching and life skills support
✅ Resources that help individuals regain stability and hope

💛 Your gift is tax-deductible and makes an immediate impact.
Together, we can open doors, create opportunities, and change lives.

If you’re able, please consider donating and sharing this post to help us reach more supporters. Thank you for believing in this mission and in the people we serve. 🙏✨

https://lowerthebarrierco.org/
https://pathway2progress.life/

In Lower the Barrier Colorado's program Pathways to Progress … Lower The Barrier needs your support for A Home for the Holidays for Five Fomerly Incarcerated Men