Success may be sweet, but for one NH company it's also a bit salty and spicy. Craig and Glenna Hjelm, who started Stretch’s Pickles in Peterborough two years ago, have grown their business from $5,000 in sales in 2011 to $25,000 in the first eight months of 2013 alone. Their popularity earned them a spot on the shelves of area Whole Foods stores.
A family business at its core, Stretch’s employs five people, with the Hjelms’ oldest son, 15-year-old Logan, planning to join at 16, and his younger brothers Hayden and Griffin to follow. Their nephew Matt designed the label, and the flavor originated from Craig’s grandmother’s old pickling recipe. “We make [pickles] in bulk, but we want to have that homemade flavor and homemade crispness,” says co-owner Craig Hjelm, also one of the head briners.
As of July, Stretch’s sold about 8,300 jars this year, more than double the number it sold in its first year (3,500). There are six flavors, with Garlic Dills and Stretch’s Bread and Butter being the most popular. Their newest flavor, Boston Deli Style, has coriander and caraway that give it a “zesty deli style taste.” In 2011, Stretch’s won first place in the bread and butter category for its Wasabi bread and butter pickles at the Rosendale International Pickle Festival in New York, which hosts more than 100 vendors. The idea for the business came after the couple received glowing reviews about their homemade pickles from co-workers and friends. “We were making 300 jars in the summer just to keep up,” says Craig. Their first kitchen was in Peterborough, where they were lucky to make 200 jars a day on a simple six-burner stove. In October 2012, Stretch’s moved to its current location at Neighbor Made Kitchen in Keene, a 4,500-square-foot commercial kitchen that allows hourly rentals and discounted bulk ordering. Here they are able to produce an average of 700 jars every two days.
Stretch’s is sold in about 40 stores around New England including Coll’s Farm in Jaffrey and Hannah Grimes Marketplace in Keene, at local farmer’s markets and at six Whole Foods stores. He now works in the financial industry, but would like to make Stretch’s his full-time job and pass the business down to his sons. “If I could make this business into something that could sustain this family, I would love that,” he says. To learn more, visit www.stretchspickles.com.
Spinney is an intern from NH who attends Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.