Everybody Must Get Pickled
Donation protected
What color is your parachute? I'm about to find out. I'm jumping off the cliff.
I have been pickling on the side for years. I have been a writer and journalist for decades . But journalism as it used to be is a dying industry. Having long embraced the DIY ethic, and long been involved in the food & beverage industry (because journalism doesn't pay, duh), I've learned some skills along the way in both worlds. I was in a band. I worked at a weekly newspaper and a global beer magazine. I have a good handle on marketing and promotion. And I have some kitchen skills.
Ironically, this campaign was the brainchild of my ex-wife who told me, "You don't need another hobby." And it is true. I don't. Pickling has become more than a hobby for me in the last 18 months - it has become a passion. Every free moment I have is spent on the hunt for produce, buying Mason jars and in the kitchen brewing up batches of pickled goodness.
People started buying my products. There is a demand now that I want to supply. But pickling not only takes time, it takes money. There are a host of regulations to be met when you go from making 4 pints a week for your friends to 4 cases of quarts for your business accounts. I have commercial kitchen fees, lawyer fees, website hosting fees, I have fees-fees-and-fees to put it bluntly.
Now I want to bring the pickle life to the people. It's more than a cucumber (yes you can pickle just about anything) - it is a lifestyle. It is about embracing that DIY ethic I previously mentioned. It is about experimentation. I have pickled soy bean sprouts, mango and even guava. But most importantly, it is about following your dreams.
Starting a business takes money.
So I looked at the number of my Facebook friends and said to myself that if every one of them gave me $20, I could raise $30,000 to help get this off the ground. I am fully aware that not every one of them will give and that $30,000 is a mere drop in the bucket to start a business. But it is a start.
My goal is to keep it small batch, locally-sourced and community supportive. I intend to not only make and sell my products but to sponsor and promote others like myself in a grassroots manner. You might see my logo on a local club sports team or at the bottom of a music festival banner. This is a multi-dimensonal endeaver with endless possibilities. I mean I already have a theme song.
So what do you say?
I have been pickling on the side for years. I have been a writer and journalist for decades . But journalism as it used to be is a dying industry. Having long embraced the DIY ethic, and long been involved in the food & beverage industry (because journalism doesn't pay, duh), I've learned some skills along the way in both worlds. I was in a band. I worked at a weekly newspaper and a global beer magazine. I have a good handle on marketing and promotion. And I have some kitchen skills.
Ironically, this campaign was the brainchild of my ex-wife who told me, "You don't need another hobby." And it is true. I don't. Pickling has become more than a hobby for me in the last 18 months - it has become a passion. Every free moment I have is spent on the hunt for produce, buying Mason jars and in the kitchen brewing up batches of pickled goodness.
People started buying my products. There is a demand now that I want to supply. But pickling not only takes time, it takes money. There are a host of regulations to be met when you go from making 4 pints a week for your friends to 4 cases of quarts for your business accounts. I have commercial kitchen fees, lawyer fees, website hosting fees, I have fees-fees-and-fees to put it bluntly.
Now I want to bring the pickle life to the people. It's more than a cucumber (yes you can pickle just about anything) - it is a lifestyle. It is about embracing that DIY ethic I previously mentioned. It is about experimentation. I have pickled soy bean sprouts, mango and even guava. But most importantly, it is about following your dreams.
Starting a business takes money.
So I looked at the number of my Facebook friends and said to myself that if every one of them gave me $20, I could raise $30,000 to help get this off the ground. I am fully aware that not every one of them will give and that $30,000 is a mere drop in the bucket to start a business. But it is a start.
My goal is to keep it small batch, locally-sourced and community supportive. I intend to not only make and sell my products but to sponsor and promote others like myself in a grassroots manner. You might see my logo on a local club sports team or at the bottom of a music festival banner. This is a multi-dimensonal endeaver with endless possibilities. I mean I already have a theme song.
So what do you say?
Organizer
Greg Barbera
Organizer
Durham, NC