The origin of Sechler’s Pickles Inc. dates back to 1921 when Ralph Sechler leased two pickle receiving stations. Back in those days, farmers would bring their cucumbers often in horse-drawn wagons to receiving stations. He would grade/size the cucumbers by diameter and then brine them (freshly picked cucumbers in salt brine). Located near railroad sidings, he would then ship the brined pickles to processors, primarily the D.M. Sears Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Often necessity is the mother of invention. During the depression, the D.M. Sears Company went bankrupt leaving Ralph with no place to sell his pickles. He and Anna started processing pickles in their kitchen until sales became large enough that the barn was converted into a factory. In those days, they sold their products under the St. Joe Valley Brands label. In 1948 when Ralph’s son Frank finished college and committed to the family business they decided to concentrate on retail sales and the Sechler’s brand was established.
While new processes and procedures are introduced, we’ve resisted change that might in any way detract from the quality of our pickles. While most pickle companies emphasize fresh-pack pickles, the majority of ours are still tank-cured. Sechler’s Pickles is still located near St. Joe, Indiana. The old farm house in which Anna hand-packed pickles now serves as our office. In retrospect, many things here at Sechler’s have changed with the times, but only if they improved our pickles. Our original product, Genuine Dills, is still on the shelves, unchanged since the twenties and the Candied Sweet Orange Strip Pickles have remained a favorite of Sechler’s customers since the 1940’s. In recent years we have responded to increased popularity of spicier foods by adding Sweet Heat Mixed Pickles and Jalapeno Sweet Relish. Traditions at Sechler’s Pickles like original recipes, and fresh, quality ingredients haven’t changed. As we like to say, “We could make them faster, but that wouldn't make them better.”
Want to learn more? We offer free factory tours one week each year during the St. Joe Pickle Festival. For more information, check out our Tour Information Page.