"What do you think of Rick's Mean Bean's," I asked Katherine Grover, co-founder of Two Sisters Organic, a small, local pickle purveyor trying to get off the ground in Dallas. "Nobody likes a limp pickle," she replied. Grover wasn't trying to disparage Rick's -- she thinks they make a fine product -- but Grover likes her pickles with a little more crunch.
Grover teamed up with Katie Beck. They met as sorority sisters at Baylor, but pickles weren't a factor there. Grover's pickle obsession blossomed later, during a trip to Bosnia when she encountered ajvar, a relish of red bell peppers, eggplant, garlic and chili pepper. Her original idea was to start a business based on Eastern European flavors, but she's settled on good old fashioned cukes for now.
The pair teamed up with another friend, Carla Huddleston, and are now turning to the public for help. They've signed up with Kickstarter to raise money to get their product to the International Pickle Festival in Rosendale, NY.
Two Sisters isn't the only Dallas-based food business using the popular fundraising site. Jakalope Mobile Kitchen, the self-described meat-free gastrowagon, signed up to raise money to dress up their truck. That effort, which expires in three days, is coming up short. The truck is still operational though.
The two sorority sisters on the other hand have some momentum. They have $5,100 in pledges so far, and the goofy video they produced has something to do with it. You can watch the film on their Kickstarter page here.
I've had Two Sisters' pickles. They're good. They take an interesting approach that shuns loud, spicy flavors, relying simply on dill, a light vinegar, and in a second version some garlic and a good kick of heat. It's a completely different approach from the popular Rick's Picks, a New York-based pickle company built on loud, bold flavors. Two Sisters pickles are quite quiet in comparison.
All of their pickles are completely organic. When produce season allows, their cukes will be local, too. And like Grover promised, the pickles have plenty of snap.
