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Northeast Grown, 100% organic, fermented & raw pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, kvass, and hot sauce

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Home / 2016 Annual Report

2016 Annual Report

Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2016




Download PDF – 4.6 MB








Co-op Year Three!

A Year in the Life of a Community Business:
Partnering with the community to build a better food system


Growing Fermentation
With the help of 2 community loan funds, we’re making room to annually ferment 97,00 pounds of additional organic vegetables from Northeast farms!

Community Service Learning
We’re collaborating with engineering students from UMass Amherst to develop ergonomic kitchen techniques and equipment

New Local Ingredient
This year, we partnered with Old Friends Farm to bring you our newest product- Organic Turmeric Kraut!

Committed to Community
We are proud to report that we directed 1.25% of total sales to mission-aligned community organizations this year.

 

Our Mission…

We are committed to promoting human and ecological health by providing people with delicious, nourishing food and by working toward a regional, organic food system

 

PRODUCT & SUPPLY

Farm Profile: Kitchen Garden Farm
Sunderland, MA

Owners Tim and Caroline are food lovers and culinary masters. They are passionate about quality and flavor, both of which come through in all of the vegetables they grow, including uncommon cultivars carefully selected for optimal flavor. Their produce can be found at farmers markets, natural foods stores and restaurants throughout the region. We’re so fortunate to be able to ferment their top quality vegetables for our products!

New Product: Turmeric Kraut!

We’ve long enjoyed using local ginger in our products, grown by the innovative farmers at Old Friends Farm in Amherst, MA. This year we’ve partnered with them to bring you our newest product… Organic Turmeric Kraut! Valued for its warm flavor and health-supporting properties, organic turmeric – combined with black pepper – brings new life to a traditional kraut recipe. A big thank you to Old Friends Farm for their pioneering work in bringing this tropical spice to New England farming!

 

Good Food

Our Organic Garlic Dill Pickles received national recognition this January as tasty, authentic and responsibly produced. Addie Rose and Dan attended the Good Food Awards ceremony in San Francisco to accept Real Pickles’ 4th medal, which was presented by chef Alice Waters. A passionate keynote was delivered by Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food International movement. We are proud to be recognized with this award, and loved this opportunity to get to know some of our fellow pickle makers from across the country!

 

INVESTING IN THE FOOD SYSTEM

Building capacity:

In March, we secured a loan from the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) and PVGrows Investment Fund to build a second floor in our warehouse so that we can ferment an additional 175 barrels of Northeast-grown, organic vegetables at a time! The loan will also support an office expansion and upgrade to a high-efficiency heating system for our kitchen and offices. We are excited to partner with CFNE and PVGrows on these projects. Both organization manage funds that offer individuals an opportunity to invest in great causes: co-operative and a vibrant local food system!

 

PICKLE FOLKS

Workforce leadership:

We received a Workforce Development Leadership Award from the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board this year for our “public spirit, being visible and active in the community.” The award was the first to a worker co-operative! We’re honored to be recognized for our work creating meaningful jobs in our community.

Creating a healthy workplace:

We’ve been working with mechanical and industrial engineering students from UMass Amherst to develop new production techniques and equipment. Such service learning collaborations provide exciting opportunities to create new appropriate technology that supports small and mid-size producers. The goals also include reducing physical strain for kitchen staff and improving overall efficiency. These projects are a great way to provide students with real world experience, contributing to the work of building a better food system!

New Worker-owner Tamara McKerchie:

“I love being a worker-owner at Real Pickles because it offers me the opportunity to further cultivate a mission I believe in. Having a voice in decision-making for the business is empowering, and allows me to deepen my connection to my workplace community”

Our Owners:
(L to R) Back: Kristin Howard, Andy Van Assche, Heather Wernimont, Dan Rosenberg, Addie Rose Holland. Front: Tamara McKerchie, Brendan Flannelly-King, Annie Winkler

ROOTED IN COMMUNITY

We paid out over $1 million to operate Real Pickles Co-operative last year.

WE SPENT 93% REGIONALLY!

(paid to local/regional businesses and organizations and Real Pickles staff; excludes taxes)

 

Our Staff!
22 employees, 8 worker owners
Our Farmers!
8 farms in Western MA & Southern VT
Our Vendors!
Local, independent businesses, like Baker Office Supply in Greenfield, MA
Mission-aligned organizations!

1.25% of sales went to organizations in the form of charitable donations, sponsorships, food donations, and volunteer service.

 

Fermentation Friends
BFFs at BFF!

Here’s Addie Rose (right) at the Boston Fermentation Festival with our friendly fellow fermenters from Gracie’s Garden, Hosta Hill, Micro Mama’s, and Thirty Acre Farm. Fermentation festivals are sprouting up across the region in celebration of the vast possibilities in fermented food and ever-increasing public interest.

SALES & FINANCIALS

Sales report:

We are pleased to report that we wrapped up our 2016 fiscal year with sales of over $1.1 million, a 12% increase over the previous year and about $40,000 above what we had projected. Our higher than expected sales are due in part to the strong launch in February of our Organic Turmeric Kraut, as well as significant sales growth for Organic Beets and Organic Garlic Kraut.
These results are particularly encouraging given the growing number of fermentation businesses in the marketplace with product lines similar to ours, ranging from small producers to nationally-distributed brands. Overall demand for fermented foods remains strong, and we’re excited to see that our social mission of supporting local farms, regional food systems, co-operative economies and organic agriculture continues to resonate with consumers around the Northeast.

Felix Merkin, future employee and son of a past employee, enjoys an Organic Dill Pickle.
Financial report:

FY’16 was another profitable year for Real Pickles, with net income at $91,428 or 8% of sales.
In allocating our available FY’16 net income, we elected to keep over half in collective reserves to be permanently retained by the co-operative. The remaining net income was directed to worker-owners in the form of patronage dividends, with 75% retained for use by the co-operative. Our decisions to continue to build up our internal equity accounts (collective reserves and retained patronage) reflect the worker-owners’ commitment to invest in the future of Real Pickles, thereby creating opportunities to pursue such goals as investing in facility infrastructure for expanded fermentation capacity, developing ergonomic production equipment, and paying living wages and benefits to our fantastic staff!
We agreed at our May board of directors meeting to pay the 4% target dividend to our preferred shareholders for FY’16. We are ever grateful to our investors for their role in Real Pickles’ successful 2013 transition to a worker co-operative. The annual dividend represents the financial portion of the return on their investments. This annual report aims to provide highlights of the many social returns!

Primary Sidebar

We’re a 15 Years of Good Food Awards Winner! 🥇
Real Pickles Organic Sauerkraut has been officially crowned a winner in the Pickles Category of @goodfoodfdn’s 15 Years of Good Food Awards. 
We’re honored to be recognized alongside so many exceptional crafters—and we couldn’t have done it without you!
#goodfoodfdn #goodfoodawards #15yearsofgoodfood #RealPickles #OrganicSauerkraut #PackedWithAMission
🥒 It’s that time again…. Pickle season has 🥒 It’s that time again…. Pickle season has begun! Our kitchen crew is in full swing - slicing, spicing and brining organic cukes from Mountain View Farm. Just a couple of short weeks before we are all enjoying this year’s batch of Organic Dill Pickles! 🥒 
#organicpickles #fermentedpickles #pickles #realpickles #organic #cucumbers @mtviewfarm
Join our team! Real Pickles is seeking a highly qu Join our team! Real Pickles is seeking a highly qualified individual who is inspired by our mission and interested in exploring worker-ownership in our co-op to fill the role of Sales Representative & Marketing Assistant.
The Sales Representative & Marketing Assistant supports Real Pickles sales and marketing efforts by maintaining strong customer relationships, promoting brand awareness, and ensuring excellent customer service.
This role involves a balance of inside and outside sales, customer support, marketing content development, and occasional participation in public events and product demonstrations.
We’re looking for a proactive, detail-oriented individual with strong communication skills and a passion for organic and local food.
See full job description and how to apply at realpickles.com/jobs — link in bio!

#RealPickles #coopjobs #westernmassjobs #joinourteam #workerowned
We’re honored to receive this year’s local bus We’re honored to receive this year’s local business Austin Miller Co-op Hero Award! 
Thank you to @rivervalleycoop for the generous recognition and for hosting such a heartwarming event last week. We’re proud to be part of a vibrant community of co-ops, farmers, and change makers working toward a just, sustainable, and resilient local food system.

Repost from @rivervalleycoop
•
Thank you to all who attended and worked at our 2025 Strawberry Ice Cream Social Fundraiser. It was a wonderful evening on June 12th at our Easthampton store, celebrating the start of the local summer harvest season and supporting the Center for New Americans. Nearly 800 people attended this patio party throughout the evening, purchasing burgers, grilled corn on the cob, salads, and Strawberry Ice Cream Sundaes. This resulted in raising a total of $10,953 for the Center for New Americans. This is a record high for this fundraising patio party! 

🍓 Read more of RVC’s 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 + 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 recap by visiting the link in their bio 🍓

@cnaforimmigrants 
#foodcoops #communitylove #supportforimmigrants #strongertogether
🌈🥒 Rain or shine, Real Pickles shows up with 🌈🥒 Rain or shine, Real Pickles shows up with PRIDE! We had an amazing time marching in the Franklin County Pride parade this weekend — umbrellas, ponchos, and all. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate love, community, and inclusion with us! And thank you to the amazing team at @franklincountypride for working so hard and making this event happen! 
🤍🩷🩵🤎🖤❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
#RealPickles #pride
✨We’re a finalist!✨ Real Pickles Organic Sau ✨We’re a finalist!✨
Real Pickles Organic Sauerkraut just earned a spot as a finalist in the Pickle Category of @goodfoodfdn’s 15 Years of Good Food Awards.
This special Community Choice edition of the Good Food Awards honors past winners that continue to set the standard for taste, craftsmanship and responsible production. For the first time ever, the good food loving public had a say, submitting over 8,000 ballots to support their favorite producers.
We’re honored to be recognized alongside so many exceptional crafters—and we couldn’t have done it without you!
Winners will be announced, June 28 at Good Food Mercantile NYC.
#goodfoodfdn #goodfoodawards #15yearsofgoodfood #realpickles #packedwithamission #organic #sauerkraut

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Greenfield, MA 01301
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info@realpickles.com

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