Mustard Pickle Empire
Fourteen-year-old Mitchell Hudson spent most of the summer in the kitchen, hard at work perfecting his great auntâs sweet pickle recipe. Itâs not the typical summer job most students hope to get, but âmoney is money,â he says. His new business, Aunt Sadieâs Pickles, got its start in June, when Mitchell found himself out of school and unable to find work.âSo my mom decided it would be a good idea to give me an idea to start a job. And then we just decided when the Zest pickles went out, that we would start a different pickle brand,â he says. Considering the mayhem that ensued last March when Smucker Foods discontinued its Zest and Habitant sweet mustard pickles - sending pickle lovers racing to grocery stores to hoard the last few jars - it was a shrewd entrepreneurial idea. Young entrepreneur Mitchell Hudson is one of many giving Aunt Sadie's Pickles the thumbs up.To create the product, Mitchell - who splits his time between the Goulds during the school year and Bloomfield during the summer - turned to a trusted family recipe belonging to his 75-year-old Great Aunt Sadie Way of Flowerâs Cove, Newfoundland. Whenever Mitchellâs mom, Darlene Way, whipped up a batch of her auntâs pickles, she always got compliments and even suggestions that she sell it. She brushed the idea aside - until she realized it was something her son could do. âSo when Mitchell called me, distraught about not getting a job, I said, âWell why donât we explore this?â And it kind of went crazy,â she laughs.The operation is Mitchellâs, with his mom stepping in to give advice here and there. âHe comes from a business family. So you know, itâs in the blood. So I kind of give him help when I can and that sort of thing. But he does all the work on it,â says Darlene.So far, Aunt Sadie's Pickles have been receiving rave reviews, with people saying it tastes pretty close to those sold under the Zest label. Even Newfoundland and Labrador ex-pats living in Alberta, looking for a taste of home, have shown interest in ordering the product.Sweet Pickle SuccessAt the moment, many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who want to taste Aunt Sadieâs Pickles might have some trouble tracking down a jar. Because Mitchell is a one-man operation, he isnât able to sell the product province-wide. For the time being, customers can find the jars, with their distinctive pink-and-white cloth toppers, mainly at retail locations on the Bonavista Peninsula, and select stores further afield - including at Bidgoods in the Goulds. They will also be available at Christmas at the Glacier, taking place this month in Mount Pearl. While it all started as a means to earn some extra cash over his summer holidays, Mitchell plans to continue the operation throughout the year, returning to Bloomfield on weekends. He hopes to expand production and perhaps hire on some extra help. Itâll be a busy schedule between balancing schoolwork, a social life and a fledgling business, but Mitchell says heâs up to the challenge.Mitchell's mom, Darlene Way, shows her Aunt Sadie some love. Sadie's pleased to know so many people are getting to enjoy her very own recipe.Much of the money Mitchell has made so far has gone back into the enterprise; he recently invested in an industrial chopper that can cut 25 cabbage heads in five minutes to speed up the cooking process. And there are bigger plans in the works. Mitchell and his mom have dreams of growing their own produce to bring down the cost of the pickles, which currently range in price from $6 to $8, depending on the store. âWe have a big vision, donât we Mitchell?â Darlene laughs.And as for Aunt Sadie, Darlene says her aunt thinks itâs great that her pickles are reaching so many people - and sheâs eager to try out her great-nephewâs attempt to follow the recipe and see how closely it comes to her own. - By Elizabeth Whitten
