Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Carper
Hi Heather, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I taught myself how to can about ten years ago. My grandmother passed down a love of cooking and entertaining to me, and after she passed away I wanted to learn some of the older methods of cooking as a way to remember her. I started small and taught myself how to can pickles since they are my favorite. I practiced two types of pickles one shelf stable and canned and one fresh and kept in the fridge. I posted my results on social media and my friends began placing orders. In New York the growing season is rather short so I used to make them mostly in the summers when I wasn’t teaching, and it just kind of went from there. I would sell them to co-workers and take them to family parties and I got really good feedback. The spring after we moved to Florida in 2021 my husband mentioned to his coworkers that I made pickles and that is really where Empire Pickle Company began. My flavor profiles from New York weren’t what his friends were looking for so I began to tweak my recipes including more spicy and hot options utilizing fresh local ingredients in season ingredients. My husband Mike teased me about starting a pickle empire and the name just stuck. I began to develop my brand and flavors more based on feedback from my taste testing panels. We began to share with friends in the community and word kind of spread from there. One day we were exploring our new community and we stopped into The Dona Vista Market where I met Leslie and Chris Woodward. Chris yelled, “ Hey, pickle lady!’ across the market as we were walking out after exploring and he came to talk to me about my pickles. It kind of all started there and without Leslie and my new market friends I don’t know where I’d be today. Our business grew from there in a new town with Mike and I starting from scratch. Perfect strangers have supported us more than I have ever thought possible, it is really kind of amazing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No. It’s been a lot of trial and error, learning to take constructive, and sometimes not so constructive feedback. I was hesitant to make it a business because I was scared to put myself out there at times. My husband Mike pushes me a lot, he is the logical thinker and strategist and I am the more impulsive creative person. We balance each other out, but I can drive him crazy at times. We went from a hobby business to one in which we were pouring more and more time and trying to balance our day jobs with our side hustle. It can be a lot working seven days a week and growing from a couple hundred bags of pickles a month to hundreds a week. Growing the business and trying to decide your next move and prioritizing what benefits us the most can be difficult. We have meetings and have to separate our business selves from our personal relationship and that can be tricky to manage as well.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I came into the restaurant business as a single mom and I learned my way around the kitchens, front and back of house operations. I have waitressed and bartended for a good portion of my adult life. I am a high school English teacher by trade, so my business is a big departure from my educational background. I have my food manager certification and I’ve done training on kitchen processes and taught myself how to write plans for my business. Empire Pickle Company is based on fresh local ingredients. We utilize our local farmers and have worked very hard to develop good working relationships with all kinds of farms. We have our hands on every step of the process and we pride ourselves on creating pickles that are fresh and delicious. I am most proud of my network of people that I’ve met throughout this process. Who began as total strangers, but have become some of my biggest supporters and resources. They have so much knowledge and offer it freely. We feel that we are set apart from other brands in that we take part on every single aspect, from design, flavors, production to sales. We take great pride in our product.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Owning a business is not for the faint of heart. It takes so much more effort to work for yourself and it seems like you can be getting nowhere. There is no one to thank you or recognize you for your efforts. If you create a good product and you stand by it, then you grow with confidence.
Pricing:
- 8 for pickles
- 6 kits
Contact Info:
- Website: https://empire-pickle-company.square.site
- Instagram: @empirepicklecompany
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/empirepicklecompany
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@empire.pickle.com
Image Credits
None
