The Kitchen Pickleball

What The Kitchen Pickleball does

The Kitchen Pickleball LLC is a privately held, USA-domiciled media company focused on the sport of pickleball. The company operates a content platform at thekitchenpickle.com that publishes news articles, gear reviews, buying guides, tournament coverage of Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour, instructional tips, and player interviews. The platform is built on a WordPress content management system and is supplemented by the Pickleballers podcast (currently in Season 4), a free email newsletter delivered through beehiiv, and a direct e-commerce storefront at shop.thekitchenpickle.com.

The business model is primarily affiliate-driven. The Kitchen earns commissions from 20+ paddle and equipment brands including JOOLA, RPM Pickleball, Friday Pickleball, Selkirk, 11SIX24, Proton, Engage, Paddletek, Luzz, Enhance, Franklin, Bread & Butter, Vatic Pro, Six Zero, Gherkin, and Gearbox through standardized discount codes (KITCHEN, INF-KITCHEN) that deliver 10-15% off or fixed discounts to readers. A secondary, complementary revenue stream is the newsletter subscription, which is currently free and used to build an owned audience for affiliate monetization. The company has also extended into grassroots league integration via Honcho Pickleball and into junior pickleball programming through a partnership with National Junior Pickleball and JOOLA.

The primary customer segment is recreational and competitive pickleball players of all levels who seek expert gear reviews, tournament coverage, and instructional content. The Kitchen's community is anchored by a Facebook Group (The Kitchen PB) with 190,000+ members used for community polls, paddle recommendations, and engagement. Operating geographies are concentrated in the USA/Canada/North America, while the e-commerce storefront and affiliate distribution are positioned as global. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no headcount data.

Name

The Kitchen Pickleball

Legal name

The Kitchen Pickleball LLC

Website

https://thekitchenpickle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kitchen Pickleball is a USA-based pickleball media company that publishes gear reviews, tournament coverage, and instructional content, monetizing primarily through affiliate commissions from 20+ paddle brands and a 190K+-member Facebook community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pickleball Media and Content

NAICS

Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992)

akta.pro primary industry

Pickleball Equipment & Accessories Retail (CRAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Pickleball content media
• Pickleball gear reviews
• Affiliate marketing publishing
• Sports media platform
• Pickleball news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Affiliate commissions: The Kitchen earns commissions from paddle and equipment brands when readers use their discount codes and purchase through affiliate links. They partner with brands like JOOLA, RPM Pickleball, Friday Pickleball, Selkirk, and many others through affiliate relationships where they earn a percentage of sales.
2. Newsletter/Subscription: Free newsletter subscription through beehiiv platform delivering news, giveaways, gear drops, and content updates to subscribers. While currently free, this builds an engaged audience for monetization through affiliate links.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Kitchen Pickleball is a pickleball-focused digital media company that publishes news articles, paddle and gear reviews, instructional tips, and tournament coverage (Major League Pickleball and PPA Tour). It also produces the Pickleballers podcast and operates an affiliate-driven e-commerce shop and free email newsletter. The company monetizes primarily through affiliate commissions earned when readers use its discount codes to purchase pickleball equipment from partner brands such as JOOLA, Selkirk, RPM Pickleball, and Friday Pickleball.

Product overview

The Kitchen Pickleball operates as a pickleball-focused media and content company with a platform-plus-services architecture. The core product is its content website (thekitchenpickle.com) which publishes news articles, gear reviews, instructional tips, and hosts the Pickleballers podcast. The company extends its platform through The Kitchen Shop, an affiliate e-commerce storefront offering discount codes for third-party pickleball equipment, and The Kitchen Newsletter, a free email subscription service. The business model centers on affiliate marketing and content partnerships with major pickleball equipment brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pickleballers: Podcast series featuring interviews with pickleball players and personalities, currently in Season 4 with episodes featuring pro players like Hannah Blatt, Jared Paul, and others
• The Kitchen Shop

Products and services

• The Kitchen Pickleball Website The central content platform publishing pickleball news, gear reviews, buying guides, instructional tips, and tournament coverage (MLP, PPA Tour) for pickleball players of all skill levels.
• Pickleballers Podcast
• The Kitchen Shop
• The Kitchen Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• Independent paddle reviews by 5.0+ rated players testing with real court hours and drills
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Junior PickleballcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2026Partnership for JOOLA Pickleball Celebration junior clinic hosted by Simone Jardim. National Junior Pickleball collaborates with JOOLA to deliver elite training experience for junior players including technique mastery, footwork, and competitive drills at the annual Labor Day weekend event in Orlando.
• JOOLA PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor affiliate partnership with discount codes KITCHEN and INF-KITCHEN offering 10-15% off or free items (Kitchen hat) on JOOLA paddles. JOOLA is a top brand in the pickleball paddle market, and The Kitchen features extensive reviews and recommendations for JOOLA products including Pro V, Pro IV, and Kosmos models.
• RPM PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 15% off RPM Friction Pro and Friction Pro V2 paddles designed by pro player James Ignatowich.
• Friday PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership featuring Friday Aura and Aura Pro paddles with code 'KITCHEN' offering $10 off. Friday Pickleball has grown from viral video company to legitimate performance paddle brand.
• Selkirk PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'INF-KITCHEN' offering credits toward future purchases on Selkirk paddles including Omni and Boomstik models.
• 11SIX24 PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering $10 off on 11SIX24 paddles including Vapor Power 2 and Ultre Power 2 models featuring HexGrit technology.
• Proton PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'Kitchen' offering 15% off Proton paddles including Project Peacock and Project Flamingo models. Currently in good standing with PPA Tour and MLP after resolving contractual dispute.
• Honolulu PickleballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Honolulu paddles including J6CR model recognized as best full foam paddle.
• Engage PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Engage paddles including X2 and Alpha Pro models.
• PaddletekminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Paddletek paddles including Honeyfoam TKO-X and Bantam TKO-CX.
• Luzz PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 15% off Luzz paddles including Pro 4 Inferno and Glider models.
• Enhance PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering $20 off Enhance Turbo MPP paddles, positioned as budget-friendly foam core performance.
• Franklin PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 15% off Franklin C45 Series paddles including Anna Leigh Waters signature Aurelius model.
• Bread & Butter PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Bread & Butter Loco paddles, one of the breakout favorites of 2025.
• Gearbox SportsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Gearbox GX2 Power Hybrid paddles.
• Vatic ProminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering $10 off Vatic V-Sol Pro paddles, positioned as strong value reputation.
• Six Zero PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Six Zero paddles including Black Opal and Coral models.
• Gherkin PickleballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership with code 'KITCHEN' offering 10% off Gherkin Draco paddles, positioned as affordable premium power alternative.
• beehiivminorOthersNewsletter platform provider for The Kitchen Pickleball's email newsletter subscription service.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MyPaddle / Pickleball Studios: MyPaddle is an emerging pickleball content and review platform covering paddles and gear for enthusiast buyers. It is a smaller-scale, partial-overlap player in the same niche-media-and-affiliate category.
• Revolin Sports / PB Pro Pickleball: PB Pro Pickleball is an emerging pickleball media and review site focused on player profiles, gear coverage, and instructional content. It is a partial-overlap emerging player targeting the same core demographic of serious recreational players.

Broad incumbents

• Selkirk Sport: Selkirk is a leading pickleball paddle brand with an active content, podcast, and sponsorship presence. It is a brand partner of The Kitchen and a broader incumbent that competes for audience and could disintermediate affiliate publishers.
• Pickleball Central: Pickleball Central is one of the largest pickleball e-commerce retailers and also publishes gear guides and content. It is comparable as a hybrid retailer/media player in the pickleball category and could expand content to compete for affiliate-driven traffic.
• JOOLA Pickleball: JOOLA is a top pickleball paddle brand (and a core affiliate partner of The Kitchen) that operates its own content, social, and influencer marketing. It is a broad incumbent that can pivot toward owned-media monetization and reshape affiliate dynamics.

Direct peers

• PrimeTime Pickleball: PrimeTime Pickleball is a pickleball news, gear review, and tournament coverage site targeting serious and recreational players. It competes directly with The Kitchen for the same reader attention and affiliate clicks.
• Crank Pickleball: Crank Pickleball is a pickleball media site covering news, gear, and player stories, including podcast content. It is a comparable direct peer in the niche content-and-affiliate model.
• Pickleball Channel: Pickleball Channel is a media outlet producing instructional videos, gear coverage, and tournament content for pickleball players. It competes for the same audience and serves overlapping use cases (reviews, tips, news).
• The Dink Pickleball: The Dink is a leading pickleball-focused media and content outlet producing news, reviews, instructional content, and a podcast. It is the closest direct competitor to The Kitchen Pickleball in the niche pickleball media-and-affiliate category.
• Pickleball Magazine: Pickleball Magazine is a print and digital publication covering gear reviews, player profiles, and tournament news. It is a comparable niche pickleball media brand competing for the same audience and advertising/affiliate dollars.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheKitchenPB
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PPAtour
• Facebookfacebook.com/907810713066642
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thekitchenpickleball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Kitchen Pickleball