Wickles Pickles Returning Home to Alabama
A major pickle manufacturer is bringing its production back home to Alabama.
Sims Food, Incorporated announced it will be moving the Wickles Pickles brand from North Carolina to the Magnolia Vegetable Processors site in the city of Brundidge, which opened last year.
“As of 2019, we will be making all wickles products here,” Magnolia Vegetable Processor’s Efficiency Leader Kelsi Caraway says, “including some new ones such as the Dirty Dill Okra , which is really good.”
The process is based on a 90-year old family recipe.
The transition began earlier this year.
Brundidge residents are excited to see the major pickled producer come to town.
“We welcome industry that’s going to provide decent jobs, good paying jobs to our standards,” Brundidge Chief of Police Moses Davenport says.
The move is expected to create about 60 jobs.
The brand produces 10 varieties of products. It already begun producing and packing some of those pickled treats at the facility.
Caraway says many of Alabama’s homegrown produce will be used.
“Our vision is to utilize as much Alabama agriculture as possible,” Caraway says.
“Industry is kinda our lifeline because of the small shops,” Davenport says. “So many have gone because of the stores thats just outside of Brundidge.”
Caraway says employees are excited to begin the new venture and aer making a smooth transition in production.
“It’s been a huge learning curve for us here, but we’re getting the hang of it,” Caraway says. “The employees, they’re pretty adaptable. Every days a experiment almost, so we’re learning as we go.”
The company sold more than two million jars of Wickles Pickles products in 2017.
The moving process is expected to be completed by the end of this year
Sims foods began in Dadeville in the 1990’s, when members of the Sims family began packing pickle jars.
The company moved the processing part of operation to North Carolina in 2005.
