Mt. Olive teams up with star UNC linebacker to sell pickle juice

By Brian Murphy, WRAL

What the dill?

A North Carolina-based pickle company is teaming up with a star UNC linebacker to sell pickle juice during the Tar Heels' season-opening showdown Saturday against South Carolina in Charlotte.

Cedric Gray, an All-ACC linebacker for the Tar Heels, and Debo Williams, from South Carolina, appear in a 30-second commercial for Mt. Olive Pickle Company for its Pickle Juicer product.

The ad will air during Saturday night's season opener for both teams. Which viewers see the commercial will depend on how you're watching the game, through either linear cable or streaming.

The spot leans into the border rivalry about the "real" Carolina.

It is the first foray into the name, image and likeness space for North Carolina-based Mt. Olive, which is best known for its pickles and relish products. The company typically does not do television advertising.

"It is certainly outside of the Mt. Olive comfort zone to a degree," said Greg Smith, the company's vice president for sales and marketing. "We're pushing the envelope a degree. I love it."

Pickle juice has been used by some athletes to fight cramps and for hydration. Several companies are now selling pickle juice products.

It was a natural fit for Mt. Olive. Smith said about 70% of the usage for pickle juice drinks is from athletes. Mt. Olive has signed a deal to be the official pickle juice drink of the Carolina Panthers. Pickle Juicers are sold in 2-ounce bottles or a 64-ounce jug.

"People have been drinking our pickle juice since 1926," Smith said. "It just happens that now we’ve taken the pickles out."

Gray and Williams both drink the juice in the commercial, which was filmed at Kings Mountain High School.

Gray had done previous NIL deals with Al's Burger Shack and All About Insurance, according to Pet Sumner, who helps Gray with marketing agreements.

"He’s going to be next level," Sumner said. "I think he has opportunity for companies to jump all over him. He's easily marketable."

Sumner works for the Gastonia-based Sumner Group, a marketing, advertising and branding agency.

Gray, a senior, was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2022 and a preseason All-ACC pick this year. His 145 tackles, including 82 solo tacklers, were the most for any player in a Power 5 conference last year.

"Cedric, he's a guy with his looks and talent, he can make a lot of money doing this NIL thing," Smith said.

Smith, who played some tennis in college, said he was looking for really good players with high character for the ad. Defensive players also appealed to him.

"It's taken us since 1926 to build this company up. It only takes a couple seconds to tear it down," Smith said. "So we were looking for guys with high character. We do simple things really well. I like a linebacker's mentality: Get up and go to work every day."

The company has a basketball-themed commercial in the works. UNC star Armando Bacot and Duke star Jeremy Roach were in a commercial for BOA Nutrition last year, playing off the Duke-UNC basketball rivalry.