We’re continuing our made in {New Jersey} series this week, and since our last feature was sweet, it was about time for something salty. Enter Pickle Licious, a pretty famous Kosher pickle brand made {and sold} in New Jersey. This family business was created in 1992 by Robyn Samra, appropriately dubbed “The Pickle Lady.” After she had her two daughters Alex, 26 and Taylor, 25. Robyn started playing around with different pickle recipes and soon enough — brought her delicious creations to their very first farmer’s market. Today, the business has majorly expanded and the Samra family’s pickles and other savory products can be found at multiple restaurants, shops, and markets. We got a chance to chat with Samra, and wanted to share her pickle-savvy story about how Pickle Licious came to be.
Q: How did Pickle Licious come to be?
Robyn: I always knew I wanted to do something on my own and that’s exactly what I did. Pickle Licious is a family business. We started out at the Meadowlands Flea Market, and it was a hit from day one. In a short period of time, we grew to have regular customers coming back week after week, refilling their containers of pickles. As time went on, we knew what our customers liked — the same pickles, over and over again. We needed to be creative and keep up with the times, so we started venturing to markets, street fairs, and festivals. Then, we grew into a retail store {which has been open for 14 years!}.
Read More: Your Comprehensive Guide to Farmers Markets in Hudson County
Q: Wow, that’s impressive. What is the best way to buy a Pickle Licious pickle?
We do over 30 farmers markets through NJ, NY, PA & CT, and we have a website for ecommerce— shipping nationwide as well as some wholesale to smaller specialty shops. We also have a retail store at 384 Cedar Lane in Teaneck, NJ.
^A peek inside the Pickle Licious salt bar at their Teaneck shop
Q: How many employees do you have?
Robyn: We have 5 full time and 5 seasonal employees.
Q: What is your favorite thing about creating your products?
Robyn: Hearing how our customers use our products. I am always curious as to what they eat it with and what recipes they come up with. You’d be surprised how many people have serious childhood memories of pickles, with many saying, “Oh, this smell reminds me of this.” Our pickles bring back a lot of nostalgic memories for people. {Editor’s note: TOTALLY. I think of dinner at the Rascal House in Florida with my Grandma Fran 🙂 — PICKLES ALL DAY ERRR DAY }.
Q: What goes into the process of making your product?
Robyn: Our pickles and Pickle Licious products are made with all-natural preservatives and simple ingredients such as cucumbers, water, salt, vinegar, and seasonings. It’s all about time. Our New Pickles sit in the brine for only a couple days, and our full sour pickles can sit in the brine for as long as 3-4 months.
Robyn and her team have a very special pickle business indeed. They have recently received several accolades, including being voted ‘Best Specialty Food Shop 2016’ by (201) Magazine, ‘Bergen County’s Best Kept Secret 2011’ by (201) Magazine, ‘Best Pickles, Olives, & Hummus,’ by Bergen Health & Life Magazine in 2015, 2014, and 2013, as well as the ‘Best Pickles’ 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, AND 2009 by the Jewish Standard Newspaper. Mazel!
Even though the Pickle Licious company has grown considerably in the last few years {especially with the onset of social media [follow them here on Instagram]}, Robyn isn’t done yet. “Now that we have customers hooked at our store and out at the markets it’s time to get Pickle Licious products into local retail shops.” She shared that they have three specialty items, Krelish {a mix of mustard, relish and sauerkraut}, Olive Tapenade, and Sweet Heat Corn Relish — all of which sound ahhhhmazing and totally unique.
Besides that…they also have the PERFECT ingredients for the best Bloody Marys on the east coast. Just a few of their ingredients include full sour pickle brine, garlic stuffed/pimento stuffed, or jalapeno stuffed olives, fresh horseradish, pickled string beans, sweet horseradish chips, sour tomatoes. YUM.
Read More: Bin 14’s Bloody Mary Bar is Something to Write Home About
Well if that doesn’t get your mouth watering for some pickles and other savory snacks, then you just aren’t a true salt fanatic. Make sure to check out Pickle Licious’ list of farmers market events here so that you can swing by and enjoy a salty treat.
Have you had a pickle or other Pickle Licious product? What did you think?
