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Cooney’s Mountain Mustard didn’t start
the way that most businesses get their start. It didn’t start
with a dream, it didn’t start with a need, and it didn’t start
with a business plan. What it did start with was a whole bunch
of peppers, and a couple from a small town in the mountains of
Potter County who never intended to start second careers.
In the beginning, making the spicy pepper
mustard was simply a way for Denny and Kim Cooney to use up the
extra peppers that they grew in their garden. They experimented
with different ways to use the peppers and hit upon a winner
with the tangy pepper mustard relish. They found that the relish
went great both as a dip for pretzels, as a topping for crackers
and cheese, or on burgers and hot dogs. In fact, it seemed like
the more things they tried, the more uses they discovered.
The Cooney’s shared their various
experiments with their friends and family in and around their
small town of Austin, Pennsylvania. It seemed that the more jars they
shared, the more jars they needed.
After much encouragement from family and
friends to begin producing their mustard on a larger scale, Kim
began to research how to become licensed as a food producer with
the PA Department of Agriculture, and Denny started to work on a
plan to take the production to the next level
Unfortunately, what their growing fan
base couldn’t agree on was what to call their tangy creation. Was it a sauce or a relish; was it more pepper or mustard? Finally in September of 2004, after months of planning,
preparation and debate, Cooney’s Mountain Mustard was born.
Since that time the business has continued to grow with the
tireless help and support of their son, parents, brothers,
sisters, nieces, nephews, extended family, and close friends.
They have added a new "MILD" version of the mustard as a result
of multiple requests. The mustard is available at numerous
locations throughout Pennsylvania.
Please stay tuned to this newly developed
web site for updates on future products and additional sales
locations.
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