S4 Ep 7 - In a Pickle

Pickles and McDonalds are a long-standing partnership. But many of us may not have thought about how those perfect circles are grown, fermented, sliced and finally, served up on your burger. Incredibly, there is just one family responsible for all those Maccas pickles Australia-wide. The Parle Family has been producing pickles for the fast-food chain, on their farm in Griffith, NSW for more than 3 decades. Operations Manager, Ben Parle joins me now to tell the story of the famous Parle Pickle.   Ben's favourite place on the farm. Although the farm has been around for a long time now, Ben shares that his father and grandfather were originally wheat and rice farmers before branching out into growing gherkins. In the late 1980s, Ben's father started growing gherkins, and Parle's Pickles was born. Ben explains that a gherkin is an immature cucumber which, once fermented, becomes the famous pickle. Ben is the next generation of the business. He's been involved since finishing high school and once doubted that he wanted to continue with the family legacy. A McDonald's contract has been a life-changing deal for the farm, where they eventually secured 100% of the production rights. Ben shares some stories about how they have maintained the McDonald's contract.  What it takes to create the perfect pickle slice and what happens to the pickles that fail the cut. Ben shares his perspective on people who remove pickles from their burgers and how this trend has shifted over time. What Ben loves most about working on the land. The most unexpected thing to happen running the pickle business. The misconception about being the sole supplier of pickles for McDonalds. The ultimate dream for the future of the Parle's Pickle.   We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus. Links:   Angie Asimus Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram Partnered with Australian Farmers Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram   Produced by Pretty Podcasts