I love pickles. You could practically put them on anything, in anything, with anything, and I'd enjoy it. Heck, make me some pickle ice cream, I'll give it a shot. Pickle soda? Yeah, sure. Gimme that sweet, dilly, vinegary goodness.

Of course, when you talk pickles, you can't help but think of one of the classic brands and manufacturers, Vlasic, who are known for their stork mascot, and being "the best tasting pickle I ever heard." But did you know, it all started in Michigan?

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In a state known for its pizza places, and cereal companies, another massive brand name that can call Michigan home is indeed Vlasic Pickles.

The company resides in New Jersey now, but its roots come from Detroit, more than a century ago.

Franjo "Frank" Vlašić, who immigrated to the U.S. from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Detroit in 1912. Initially, he saved money to start a creamery with his son, which eventually grew to be one of the state's largest distributors of dairy.

But the family had bigger, and much different aspirations, and expanded the business into selling Polish pickles. However, his supply dried up during World War II, so a brief hiatus in the business was needed. But clearly that wasn't the end.

Following the war, he was approached about distributing his Polish-style pickles in glass jars, and THAT is when Vlasic really took off.

The first pickling plant was built in Imlay, Michigan, and RAPIDLY exploded with people's consumption of pickled products skyrocketing following food rationing during the war.

And while the company's headquarters are now in New Jersey, and they've been acquired by the Campbell Soup Company, the cucumbers used to make the Classic Vlasic pickles are still, to this day, grown in Mount Pleasant and Kalamazoo. And yes, they're still processed in the plant at Imlay City.

So when you pick up a jar of Vlasic Pickles, know that every single one in there, and every single one before it, all came from Michigan.

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Gallery Credit: Tommy McNeill

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