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On New Year’s Eve in McLean, customers sampling Picnic’s gourmet spreads at Balducci’s favored the herbed goat cheese dip. Just two weeks earlier, Moroccan cilantro had been the top choice.

Arlington resident Brady Marz said Picnic currently sells three varieties, with Parmesan and jalapeño herb expected to join the lineup next month. Other flavors, including caramelized onion and chipotle sage, were discontinued after failing to attract enough customers.

“We figure out what sells,” Marz said.

The business began in Brady and Heather Marz’s Charleston, South Carolina, kitchen in 2009. Heather experimented with labneh and different herbs while the couple worked in the furniture industry. When the recession hurt furniture sales, they changed course.

After moving to the Washington area in 2011, they began selling at local farmers markets and eventually secured placement in Whole Foods. The couple built demand largely through word of mouth, later expanding into Balducci’s, wineries and small specialty stores.

The operation started with a budget of about $2,000 for ingredients and containers. The couple had no investors, outside backing or advertising funds. Brady handled sales, while labels were printed at Kinkos.

Meeting Whole Foods’ requirements added another challenge because every ingredient had to qualify as natural. Marz said the retailer maintained an extensive list of ingredients the company could not use.

The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed Picnic’s sales routine. Marz recalled conducting his final Giant demonstration on March 16, 2020, after someone questioned whether he should still be offering samples. He then went four years without holding another demonstration.

Before the pandemic, Marz conducted about eight demonstrations each week. He now averages roughly two and has found that sales remain nearly the same with or without them, though he still enjoys meeting customers.

Picnic’s business initially surged as shoppers stocked up during the pandemic. With more people cooking at home instead of dining in restaurants, Brady and Heather updated the company’s website with suggestions for using the spreads in home-cooked meals.

At the McLean demonstration, longtime customer Penny Morrill said she had purchased the products since Marz first began appearing at the store. Moroccan cilantro remained her favorite.

Another shopper who said she ordinarily did not like goat cheese approved of the sample. Marz described the all-natural spreads as versatile enough to accompany meat or fish or serve as dips for crackers and vegetables.

Holiday sales are generally strong, though Marz said shoppers sometimes arrive focused on finding one specific item for a party and overlook everything else. For the New Year’s Eve event, he estimated he would sell four cases of 12 containers each.

Picnic’s spreads are now made by a co-packing facility that scales up the recipes according to the couple’s specifications. What began as a two-person experiment in a home kitchen has grown into a product carried by major and specialty retailers.

“We just launched into it and made it work,” Marz said.