Pickles go in glass: the brine is acidic and the jars are processed and kept on a shelf. A quart mason jar is the standard for spears; a pint suits chips and smaller buyers; a shrink band shows a co-op's customers the jar is sealed; and a gallon jar goes to delis and sandwich shops. Pickles in vinegar brine are acidified foods, so every jar carries a code for the plant, the product and when it was packed. In the example below, a Wisconsin pickle maker prices four options: 96 cents to $4.29 a jar.
The short version
- Glass jars, processed for the shelf.
- Quarts for spears; pints for chips.
- Shrink bands for a co-op.
- Gallon jars for delis.
- Every jar carries the acidified food code.
- Ingredients, net weight, name and address, allergens.
- TaroStack puts the jar and lid in each pickle's cost. More below.
The options
| Option | Size | Tamper-evident | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quart mason jar | 32 oz | No | Markets |
| Pint mason jar | 16 oz | No | Markets, gift shops |
| Quart jar with a shrink band | 32 oz | Yes | Co-ops, grocers |
| Gallon jar for delis | 128 oz | No | Delis |
Spears are packed by weight, topped with hot brine and processed as the process authority's letter says; the band goes on once the jars cool. How the spears stay firm is in calcium chloride pickles.
The label
A jar's label lists its ingredients in order by weight (21 CFR 101.4), the name and place of business (21 CFR 101.5) and the net quantity (21 CFR 101.105), and declares any major allergen (21 U.S.C. 343(w)). Every container of an acidified food also carries a permanent code for the plant, the product, and the year, day and period it was packed (21 CFR 114.80(b)). What a pickle business needs to sell to stores is in pickle business license. This is general information, not legal advice.
An example: four options for a pickle maker
Sugar River Pickle Co., the made-up pickle maker in Belleville, Wisconsin, I use in these examples, packs about 400 jars a week for markets, a co-op and two delis:
| Option | Parts | Per jar | 400 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quart mason jar | Jar and lid $1.05, label | $1.11 | $444.60 |
| Pint mason jar | Jar and lid 90¢, label | $0.96 | $384.00 |
| Quart jar with a shrink band | Jar and lid $1.05, band 3¢, label | $1.14 | $456.84 |
| Gallon jar for delis | Gallon jar and lid $4.20, label | $4.29 | $1,717.20 |
The co-op takes banded quarts; the market sells plain quarts and pints; each deli takes a gallon of spears a week, which costs four times a quart's jar for four times the pickles. The jar is the biggest single cost in a quart, as how to make pickles in bulk shows.
Get the calculator
Download the pickle packaging calculator. Two sheets: components, each part of each option with its pack price, units, how many a jar uses and waste; and compare, each option's cost per jar and per week at your volume, with notes. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
A cost sheet doesn't know which run is in which jar. When the co-op asks about one jar, the code on the lid has to lead back to the run, its pH and its cucumbers.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each batch's lot, the packaging in its cost, and where every case went.
Each batch a lot. Each batch of pickles records the ingredient lots it used, gets its own lot and dates, and lot labels print for the packages.
Packaging in the recipe. The jars, lids, bands and labels are items in each pickle's recipe, so every batch uses them up at the price you paid, and the count of what's left stays current.
Where it went. Each customer's order records the lots it got, so one recall report shows every customer a batch reached.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which batch is in a package | Written on it | The lot on its label |
| Jars, lids, bands and labels left | Counted when you run out | Used by every batch |
| Which shops got a batch | Invoices | One recall report |
Lots, batches, recipes and true cost are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.