MEET THE MANUFACTURER The next big step for Dillicious Pickles is securing distribution at major supermarket chains across Australia.
How a hobby turned into a thriving pickle business within two years Victorian couple James and Liza Barbour went from backyard pickle hobbyists to the third largest pickle producer in Australia. Here’s how they did it.
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ames and Liza Barbour recognised a hole in the pickle market in Australia and as a lover of American style pickles, expat James knew he could win over the Aussie consumer, and Dillicious Pickles was born. With available alternatives largely grown and produced overseas the company got its start as a hobby for James to make his own American pickles but it quickly took on a life of its own. After just two years, Dillicious has become the third largest manufacturer of pickles in Australia. From humble beginnings on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in 2018, Dillicious has already sold more than 1 million pickles – and the appetite for their premium,
Aussie-made product is not slowing down. “It started when I was looking for the kirby variety of cucumbers used for American pickles so I could finally make my own, when we gave them to friends and family the feedback was great,” said James. The common response from people who tried the Barbour’s pickles was that they should produce a product line of their own. “At first me and Liza thought it would make for a pretty great little side hustle and hobby. We started out at farmer’s markets and continued to get that feedback,” said James. “Of all of my ideas to date Liza got excited about this one which was an important part of the process. Funnily enough Liza hated pickles
20 Food&Beverage Industry News | September 2021 | www.foodmag.com.au
before we made them. “Pretty quickly after selling at farmer’s markets the brand continued to grow and I was fortunate enough to make it my full-time job to manufacture.” James became the general manager of Dillicious Pickles and along with Liza the pair continued to nurture the company’s rapid growth. James said the lack of American style pickles, pickled cucumbers to be exact, was something many Australians had no exposure or point of reference for, beyond American pop-culture, but he was also sure there would be a taste for them here. “I am from America and over there the pickle really is a part of the culture, it is ingrained there, I would compare it to Vegemite in Australia.
Something that might be divisive to some while others love it,” said James. “We started by selling them at small markets and giving them to friends and the feedback made us realise the demand for our pickles,” said James. In a stroke of luck, when Dillicious was introduced to Calendar Cheese, the largest importer and seller of gourmet cheeses and speciality foods, the company had just lost its American pickle supplier. “The company they were using went bankrupt, at that time Calendar Cheese had created a customer base here for the product and here were with a replacement. It was perfect timing for the partnership,”
