What moment or experience made you realize your backyard-grown, small-batch pickles were ready to become a business?
I don’t think there was one big “aha” moment. It happened pretty naturally. I had been making pickles from cucumbers I grew in my garden for years and giving them to friends and family. People kept telling me how much they loved them. My coworker said to me one day “ You need to sell these” And I was like, “That’s weird. Why would I sell pickles??” He said that people need to have them! You need to share them with the world! And being candid with you, I was in the middle of a divorce, my daughter was going off to college and I needed something else. I was already working as a hairdresser (and still do), which I love but I felt I needed something else too. So the pickles really started as a passion project on the side. Once I began selling them and saw people coming back for them, that was when it started to feel like this could be a real business and not just something I loved making at home. I kept saying to myself, I’ve gone this far might as well keep going!
A lot of trial and error! And taste testing at work! I knew what I didn’t want. I didn’t want an overly sweet pickle, but I also didn’t want one where all you tasted was vinegar. I wanted something you could keep eating right out of the jar or as an addition to something like a sandwich, burger or salad.
Over the years, I adjusted the vinegar, sugar and spices until I got that balance I was looking for. It has a little sweetness, a little tang and a lot of flavor, but nothing overpowers anything else. Even people who tell me they normally don’t like sweet pickles will try mine and say, “Oh, these are different.” I love hearing that.
What role does growing your own cucumbers play in the quality and taste of your pickles?
Growing cucumbers in my backyard is really where all of this started, so it has always been an important part of the story for me. When you grow them yourself, you really start to understand how much freshness matters. A cucumber that is fresh and picked at the right time has such a great crunch and texture.
Obviously, as the business has grown, I can’t personally grow every cucumber that goes into every jar. But that backyard garden is still my standard. When I’m choosing cucumbers, I’m always thinking about the kind I would want to pick out of my own garden and make pickles with that same day.
Can you walk us through your small-batch preparation process and what makes it unique?
Everything is made in small batches and there is still a lot of hands-on attention that goes into it. We start with fresh cucumbers, slice them thin, prepare the brine with our blend of vinegar, sugar and spices, and then everything stays refrigerated.
I think what makes them different is that I’m not trying to rush the process or turn them into a mass-produced pickle. Texture is incredibly important to me. I want that crunch when somebody opens the jar.
Also, because I’m still making them in small batches, I can pay attention to how they look, how they taste and how the batch is coming together. I’m pretty particular about my pickles!
Why did you choose refrigerator-style pickles, and how does that impact freshness and flavor?
For me, it was all about the crunch. I never wanted to heat-process the life out of the cucumber just so it could sit on a shelf.
Nancy’s Pickles are meant to always stay refrigerated, which allows me to keep that really fresh cucumber texture and bright flavor. They taste more like something that was just made for you rather than something that has been sitting on a shelf for months.
There are definitely more logistics involved with having a refrigerated product, but I think once people taste that freshness and crunch, they understand why I chose to do it this way. It’s not the easiest process for a business but I feel that refrigeration is the key to the crunch!
What feedback do you hear most often from customers who try your pickles for the first time?
The first thing is usually, “I love how thin they are!” Or “Oh, they aren’t as sweet (or as bad) as I thought they would be!”
Then I hear a lot of people say they didn’t expect the flavor because it’s different from a traditional dill pickle or a really sweet bread and butter pickle. Mine are somewhere in their own category. I say my take on a Bread and Butter style pickle.
One of my favorite things is when somebody tells me, “I don’t even really like pickles,” and then I see them go back for another one. That always makes me laugh. And quite a few people tell me they end up eating them straight out of the jar and finish the jar before they can put them on anything, which is probably the best compliment I could get.
What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy your pickles, on sandwiches, charcuterie boards, or straight from the jar?
Straight from the jar is probably number one!
But I also love them on sandwiches and burgers, and they’re really good on a charcuterie board because that little sweet and sour bite works so well with cheeses, meats and crackers.
I love them on Pulled Pork sandwiches; I have them on a Tuna sandwich once a week. I add them to things that already have pickles o them!
I also think people sometimes underestimate what a pickle can add to a meal. They’re great chopped up in things like chicken salad or a relish, alongside any grilled food, or even served with cocktails (pickle martinis!) and appetizers. But I’m not going to pretend I’m always doing something fancy with them. Half the time I’m standing at the refrigerator eating them right out of the container.
Are there any new flavors, products, or expansions you’re excited to explore in the future?
Absolutely. I have a million ideas, probably more ideas than hours in the day!
I already have my Signature Flavor. Spicy and Habanero varieties in the works, and I’m always thinking about new flavors and ways people can use the pickles.
One area I’m especially excited about is food service and sports venues. I’ve been working on a thicker cut version that can be used for things like fried pickles, which opens up a completely different side of the business.
Longer term, I would love to continue growing Nancy’s Pickles into more stores and restaurants, expand online, and eventually grow more of our own cucumbers on a larger scale. I still want it to feel like the product that started in my backyard, though. As the business grows, keeping that homemade quality and personality is really important to me.
MY REVIEW:
Photos by Me
f you’re a pasta lover, these would be amazing mixed in for an extra punch of flavor. I also enjoyed the subtle hint of onion in every bite. And yes… I’ve already eaten plenty right out of the jar with a fork.
I used these goodies on my grilled burger and let me tell you, these pickles with my tomato were so delicious. I even used them in my vegetable salad. I poured a little of the juice from the jar as a dressing, and it was so delicious. The fact that the pickles were cold, just like my vegetables, made the salad even better.