Here at Sechler's Pickles, we have been producing quality pickles since the early 1902's. Though we make a wide variety of products including Dills, Sweets, Candied, and Spicy, all of them are made by one of just 2 methods: Fresh Pack or Processed (Fermented). The graphic below outlines the basic steps for each of these methods. 

 

Fresh Pack pickles are so named because the "Fresh" ingredients are "Packed" straight into the jars, sealed, and cooked all in the same day. Some examples of our Fresh Pack products are Sweet Bread & Butter Cucumber Slices, Kosher Baby Dills, Kosher Dill Spears, and Medium Hot Kosher Dill Tomatoes. Similar to home canning, these products and cooked in a water bath tank, then cooled, labelled, and boxed up to be sent to our warehouse and, eventually, your kitchen!

Our Processed pickles are what most people think of when they imagine a traditional pickle. These pickles spend their first few months in our outdoor fermentation tanks slowly becoming salty pickles. Once the fermentation period is complete, we can either process them right away, or continue to store them inside their fermentation tanks for several months. This is how we are able to process pickles year-round, even though the growing season in the Midwest lasts only a few months. 

Once the pickles are ready, we pull them from the outdoor tanks and bring them into the factory where they are cooked and undergo a desalting process to remove much of the excess salt from the fermentation. The pickles are then rinsed and sliced (or left whole, depending on the recipe), and stored in large tubs with a vinegar brine while they wait to be packed. If the pickles are to be sweetened, they then make their way to the sweetening room where they undergo anywhere from 1 to 4 sweetenings in our antique copper kettles, depending on the recipe. 

The pickles then make their way to our packing line, where they are packed, sealed and labelled. Then they make their way out the door and into stores throughout the country!

 

Several TV production companies have visited our facility and taken some great footage. You can find many for free on YouTube! Here are just a few that are available:

This hour-long documentary (produced by one of our employees!) is a fascinating story that we can't recommend enough! The Sechler's segment begins at the 14:23 time marker.