The Bick's Story: It's a family affair

The founder of Bick’s pickles was George Bick, a Dutchman who started a cucumber farm north of Toronto in 1939 with his son Walter. A few years later, they started making pickles using an old family recipe… Canadians loved their dill pickles and thus the Bick’s brand of pickles, and other delicious pickled products, was born!

A new chapter in the Bick’s story began in 1966 when the company was sold to Robin Hood Canada. While Robin Hood maintained the quality and freshness that is synonymous with the Bick’s name, it wasn’t until 2004 that Bick’s was back in family hands… this time, the Smucker family. The J.M. Smucker Company purchased International Multifoods, the parent company of Robin Hood, and the Bick’s brand.

Bick's: A leader of the pack

Walter Bick, who founded Bick’s pickles with his father George, introduced ‘fresh pack’ processing to Canada in the early 50s. ‘Fresh pack’ means to pack green cucumbers into containers within 24 hours of being picked. They are then covered with a pickling solution that contains vinegars and/or sweeteners, flavourings and other ingredients. The result is an unusually crunchy and delicious pickle.

Bick's pickles today

Bick’s is Canada’s number one brand of pickles with a full range of products. While 85 percent of Bick’s products are cucumber varieties, Bick’s also offers specialty condiments including peppers, beets, onions and sauerkraut.

What's in a pickle?

SEE HOW THEY GROW. Cucumber seeds are planted in the spring, and the fruit grows on long trailing vines with dark green leaves and yellow bell flowers over the next few months. An acre of land produces approximately 20,000 pounds of cucumbers.

DEFINING ‘CUKES’! Cucumbers have become so closely associated with pickling that ‘cuke’ and pickle mean virtually the same thing. About 85 percent of all Bick’s products are cucumbers.

WHAT KIND OF CUCUMBER? There are nearly 40 different types of cucumber pickles. The smallest grades of cucumber are pickled as gherkins, the next smallest are baby dills. (Bick’s does not use very large cucumbers in its pickles because the seeds are too big and the skins are too tough.)