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Real Pickles

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

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Home / Our Facility

Our Facility

Energy Efficient & Solar Powered

We operate Real Pickles out of a solar powered, energy-efficient, 6,500 square foot organic pickling facility on Wells Street in Greenfield, MA.

In 2009, we purchased a century-old industrial building in Greenfield, MA and transformed it into a new home for Real Pickles. We made significant building renovations to minimize energy use and to prepare the space for certified organic food production. Two community loan funds – Franklin County Community Development Corporation and Equity Trust – helped to make the project possible, along with financing from our local community bank.  The move from the Western MA Food Processing Center (where we got our start) to our own organic pickling facility allowed us to expand significantly in the years following, and we look forward to staying here for many years to come!

Minimal Energy Use

We are proud of the many steps we have taken to make our facility as energy efficient as possible, including:

  • High efficiency lighting, including LEDs and high output T5 fluorescents,
  • Occupancy sensors and photo sensors (adjacent to skylights) to keep our lights operating only when needed,
  • On-demand, tankless water heater,
  • Freeaire system for our walk-in refrigerator, utilizing outside air during the winter months to keep things cool and reducing electric usage by an estimated 60%,
  • R40 ceiling insulation and mini-split heat pumps in our fermentation rooms.

Solar powered

Real Pickles and PV Squared owners with solar array
PV Squared and Real Pickles staff pose on the roof with our newest solar array! (Photo: PV Squared Solar)

We are excited to be supplying the majority of our electricity from solar panels installed on our rooftop!

Our efforts to maximize energy efficiency in the course of our building renovations have resulted in remarkably low energy requirements for a commercial facility of our size. In 2011 and 2019, we turned our efforts toward deriving as much of our remaining energy needs as possible from clean, renewable sources.  We hired Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics (a fellow worker co-operative that shares our building) to install two photovoltaic systems on our roof (17 kW in 2011 and 31 kW in 2019).  Our solar array provides much of the electricity needs for both businesses!

By making our facility energy efficient and solar powered, we have taken small but important steps as a business to help move our society forward in pursuit of cleaner air, greater community self-reliance, and a more stable global climate.

Read more about Real Pickles

Our Mission
Our Farmers
Our Co-operative
Our Story

Primary Sidebar

As part of our commitment to support a regional, o As part of our commitment to support a regional, organic food system, we purchase all of our vegetables and fresh herbs and spices from organic family farms in the Northeast. Check out Riverland Farms' fertile river bottom soil! This healthy soil yields some of the most beautiful certified organic produce ever fermented!

#regionalfoodsystems #organic #farmers #healthysoil 
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Repost @iloveriverlandfarm 
A lovely day for a plow 
#flipflip #fallbrassicas2022
Since 2001, Real Pickles has been producing 100% o Since 2001, Real Pickles has been producing 100% organic, naturally fermented, and raw plant-based food. Our vegetables are grown on Northeast farms that prioritize healthy, living soil – essential ingredients to support a robust fermentation. 
#PackedWithAMission #RealPickles #organic #fermented #raw #vegetables #northeastgrown 
📷@westernmaphoto @atlasfarm
Spring is in full bloom and we are enjoying the lo Spring is in full bloom and we are enjoying the longer days and blue skies, fragrant flowers and delicious fermented veggies! 
#fermentedandraw #packedwithamission #kraut #organic #ferments #realpickles
We’ve been having SO much fun collaborating with We’ve been having SO much fun collaborating with Jim and Katie at the amazing @hopeandoliverestaurant ! 
If you have been missing our Dill Pickles and can’t wait until they come back this summer, stop in and get a Real Pickle Soda or a Real Pickle Martini made with our organic brine! 

Repost from @hopeandoliverestaurant
•
Been having fun playing with some @realpickles BRINE and landed on a classic Dirty Martini- but the lacto-fermented pickles are more subtle than the vinegary version- so good finished with a Dilly Bean! Bartender Katie @love.craft.cocktails made a great NA version with the Real Pickle Soda, too- you can ask for them spicy if that’s your jam!
This Earth Day, we celebrate our mission to produc This Earth Day, we celebrate our mission to produce food with a small footprint. Our farm partners are deeply aware of the impacts of climate change to our seasons, pests, crops, and extreme weather. By farming organically, they are also a big part of climate solutions. They are constantly improving their practices to build healthy soil that sequesters carbon and supports biodiversity. They eliminate pesticides and herbicides that are harmful to wildlife, consumers, and farm workers. And, like Real Pickles, their markets are regional and food miles are minimal. Organic farmers are our climate heroes!
🌍🥬👨‍🌾💙 #earthday #climateheroes #realpickles #organic
We were so excited to see chef Michael Scelfo use We were so excited to see chef Michael Scelfo use Real Pickles Organic Ginger Carrots in a recent recipe featured on @kittch ! Link to his video and recipe for "Spicy Carrot Slaw"  in our bio. 

Repost from @mscelfo
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turkey kofta with marinated tomatoes, fermented carrot slaw, & an herby yogurt. 

made it live on @kittch today 🎉

check out the stream & get the recipe over at the kittch site, or tune in next time ✌🏼🙌🏼 

these portions clock in at around 100 calories each…

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Contact

311 Wells St
Greenfield, MA 01301
(413) 774-2600
info@realpickles.com

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