Trailblazers & Trendsetters: Peckish for a Kool-Aid pickle? Seth Watson offers 37 flavors.

Rachelle Chase, Des Moines Register

May 17, 2023 at 7:01 AM·6 min read

Here's a sampling of some of the original and signature Kool-Aid pickle flavors offered by Seth's Flavor of Pickles in Ankeny, Iowa. Seth's Flavor in Pickles was founded by Sethethel Watson.

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Tropical punch. Peach mango. Green apple. Black Mamba. Black Panther. What are these? Just a few of the 37 original and signature Kool-Aid pickle flavors Seth’s Flavor of Pickles offers.

Before they became a TikTok trend in 2021, Kool-Aid pickles have been popular in the South seemingly forever — well, not before 1927 when Kool-Aid was invented. Sometimes called a Koolickle or Pickoola, they’re especially popular in the Mississippi Delta region. Especially among Black people.

Sethethel Watson, founder of Seth’s Flavor of Pickles in Ankeny, tasted her first Kool-Aid pickle as a young girl about three years after moving from Missouri to Texas. She remembers it like it was yesterday, probably because her mother was strict about sugar and Kool-Aid was a privilege.

Sethethel Watson, founder of Seth's Flavor of Pickles, shares her Kool-Aid pickle menu.

“I remember being in second grade," Watson said. "It was after a track meet. I had just run the 400. I went to the concession stand and I had one of my teammates (with me) and I'm like, ‘What’s a Kool-Aid pickle?’ and she just kind of looked at me like, ‘You don't know what that is?’”

So Watson tried tropical punch. Her first thought was that it was extremely red. But after taking a bite she thought, "Oh wow, this is really good.”

Tropical punch is still her favorite today.

Watson’s infuses purpose, passion, and love into her pickle-making

The name Seth’s Flavor of Pickles was inspired by Flavor Flav’s reality TV show, "The Flavor of Love." On the show, the co-founder of the rap group Public Enemy gave each contestant vying for his heart a nickname.

But, unlike Flav, a piece of Watson's heart goes into each product name. There’s "Rainbow 21," named after her daughter who was a rainbow baby and “23” named after her son. “Paradox” is her Sigma name, since she's a member of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., while “Bull” is named after her husband, who belongs to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

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The flavors also have meaningful names and colors. Saddened by the death of Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman in 2020, Watson created "Black Mamba," Bryant's nickname, and "Black Panther," Boseman's most remembered role in the movie by the same name. Black Mamba features Kool-Aid flavors in colors that match Bryant’s Laker’s colors, yellow and purple. Black Panther uses purple and red colored flavors, which represent Boseman’s vibranium suit, while red is for his movie-sister Shuri.

Then, of course, there’s “Cyclone” for Iowa State University, which played a big part in Watson’s marriage. It’s made using the basketball team’s yellow/gold and cardinal colored Kool-Aid flavors.

Watson loves everything about making Kool-Aid pickles — especially the smell of peach mango as it fills her house.

“When I make it, it does take me back to the first time I had it,” Watson said. “It comes with such wonderful memories. Honestly, making any order just kind of makes me feel happy.”

But initially, it wasn’t that way.

Seth's Flavor of Pickles was all about the money the first two months

After thinking about it for four years — and with her family’s encouragement — Watson finally decided to do it. February 2019, Seth’s Flavor of Pickles was born and Watson started selling her pickles at small farmers markets. “The first thing people would say, 'Kool-Aid pickles, eww,’ or, you know, some people don't drink Kool-Aid or some people don't like pickles.”

But Watson didn’t care. She knew they were good. “It's gonna make me money. That was my first thought.”

She started shipping orders. Her family in Kansas and Chicago bought them. Strangers bought them. Within her first two months, she was shipping to six states.

By April or May, after she saw how much families and kids loved her pickles, her attituded changed.

“I stopped caring about making money,” Watson said, “and I started, like, perfecting my craft and making it with love.”

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Then the pandemic hit in 2020.

During the pandemic, she stopped selling pickles but used the time to focus on the business side of things. She rebranded, redesigning her logo. She looked into less expensive shipping options. She created new flavors. Then, she resumed business in 2021.

But 2021 and 2022 brought additional changes, some good and some challenging.

She had two knee surgeries. She had a young son starting preschool. She and her husband were having a new house built. She also works as a behavioral counselor, specializing in mental health, and her client list was growing. Then, she was pregnant and they were moving into their new house. Then her daughter arrived.

“So there's been a lot of, you know, hiccups in my journey with Seth’s.”

Watson continues sharing her love-infused pickles nationwide

In April, Watson re-opened and is offering her Kool-Aid pickles for sale seasonally, from spring through summer. “I only accept orders from Wednesday to Sunday because it gives me time to get everything and then make them and let them marinate.”

Sethethel Watson, founder of Seth's Flavor of Pickles, in Ankeny, Iowa.

Watson only takes orders through Facebook and Instagram, where she includes her product list, latest flavor updates and video testimonials from loyal customers, some of whom were skeptical at first about liking them. To place an order, she wants potential customers to message her.

Not only will she answer questions, discuss the Kool-Aid flavors in her Signature Flavors products, and catering requests, she also wants to discuss custom orders, from alcohol-infused Kool-Aid pickles to health issues. "I'm very careful about how much sugar I put in. I ask people, do you have diabetes? Do you have high blood pressure?" Based on these answers, she can adjust her ingredients accordingly, including for those who say they want a lot of sugar.

Given the popularity of her product, there are lots of things she could do to sell more and grow faster. While she is thinking about adding a website, to those who suggest faster growth, Watson is adamant.

"I take pride in my business," she said. "I know once money gets involved, it won't taste the same. I know people won't care. I've had this talk with my grandfather. He's like, 'You gotta hire people. You gotta do this. You gotta do that.' and I'm like, 'No.' Because, once it gets big, they change their ingredients. They don't make it with love."

Keeping love in her pickle-making is imperative. "Each jar that I make is made with love. That's my big thing. You have to make it with love or it's not gonna taste right," Watson said before adding, "I want people to enjoy this friendly, fun snack."

Where to find Seth's Flavor of Pickles

To see Seth's Kool-Aid pickles, place an order (including samples), ask questions, watch testimonials and more, contact Seth's Flavor of Pickles at: facebook.com/sethsflavorofpickles/ or instagram.com/flavorofpickles/.