History Album

Sechler Family - 1899

Bottom, first row - Flossie S. Mavis, Argyl Sechler, Ralph Sechler, Pauline Moffet Rhodefer, Grace S. Dilley, Avis S. Staman. (Center boy, unknown.)

Row 2-Children of Levi Sechler I - Jacob Sechler, C. Anna. M. Sechler, James Sechler, Rosetta S. Widney, Henry Sechler, Susan Sechler, Levi Sechler II

Row 3 - Jennie M. W. Sechler, Cora S. Curie, Edith W. Cole, Jessie Baltz Sommers, Elnora S> Kinsey-Blue, Jennie Baltz Moffet, Mary Baltz Maurer, Dora Sechler, Emma Baltz - sister of Row 2

Row 4 - Frank Sechler (brother of Row 2), MarySechler, Agnes Sechler Monroe, Jacob Baltz, Charles W. Widney, Byron Widney, Rolla Moffet, Simeon Maurer, Harriet Sechler, Frank Curie, Frank Baltz, Leon Sechler

Boys above - John Sechler, Merritt Sechler

Pickle Receiving Station - St. Joe, IN

 Here's where it all began. Back in the 1920's the D.M. Sear's Company had pickle receiving stations at just about every town in Northeast Indiana/Northwest Ohio with a railroad depot. The one pictured here was in St. Joe, IN. Fresh pickling cucumbers would arrive by rail and be cured in this barn, then the new pickles would be shipped out by rail again to be packed and sold by various pickle companies. After working for D.M. Sear's for a number of years, Ralph Sechler decided to try his hand in the pickle business and leased two of these receiving stations from D.M. Sears and began packing and selling his own pickles under the brand "St. Joe Valley Pickles."

As time went on, Ralph's business was successful enough to justify investing in a pickle processing facility at his home north of town. By the late 1940's, Ralph had not only built and re-built his factory (the first was lost to a fire in 1937), but had added on his first major addition and began construction of his outdoor tank yard. He started with just 4 tanks, but as the business grew and his son, Frank, took over, eventually the tank farm grew to over 100 and the factory experienced many additions and renovations.

By the time the St. Joe receiving station was retired in the early 1960's, the factory at the Sechler farm was capable of every step in the pickle-making process, from receiving, brining, desalting, sweetening, packing, and distributing. The process continues today with over 50 different flavors of Sechler's Pickles being produced, and several private-label brands as well, right here in St. Joe, Indiana.

1st (Used) Truck Owned by Ralph Sechler

From A History of Sechler's Pickles, 1921-1996  by Frank Sechler

"1930 was the year Dad (Ralph Sechler) got started in establishing several routes on which he sold pickles to restaurants. The only pickles he made himself at this time were Genuine Dill Pickles. The sweet varieties, limited to Relish, Whole Sweet Pickles and Sweet Crosscuts, were purchased of pickle processors in the Chicago area. These would be shipped in barrels (50 gallon) and/or kegs (15 gallon) at a time to Dad and he would pick them up at either the B&O Depot in St. Joe or the Wabash Depot a mile west of St. Joe. 

I loved going with him to get these products at the train depots, but of course, I was too small to be of help. I especially liked going to the Wabash Depot as a 1 cent vending machine was inside with small wrapped chocolates. I would always get a penny from Dad. I guess the vending machine was there for the occasional ticket buying passenger, or section crews.

Dad had started this new venture of selling finished products by using his old Model T Ford car to deliver in and sell from. By fall of 1930 it was obvious that he needed different transportation. Joe Sechler, a bachelor cousin, offered to loan Dad the money to buy a new Plymouth Sedan which he got from the local Hanna Motor Sales. Then in December, 1931, Dad bought a new International truck. The truth is it was an old used one, but it was a big improvement over a sedan."

Barn Being Used as a Processing Room - 1935

From the start of the company in 1921 until the early 1930's, Ralph and Anne Sechler processed all their pickles in the basement of their farmhouse outside of St. Joe, which serves as the company's office today. During the heat of the Great Depression, Ralph hired an old acquaintance on a part-time basis to help him out during those tough economic times. Taking advantage of the extra help, the Sechler's "chase(d) the cows out of the barn behind the house and turned it into a factory." This was no small task. The barn required a new concrete floor as well as steam power to cook the pickles.

A single copper kettle was used in this original "factory," both to heat water to desalt the pickles, then later to sweeten them. At first, the water was heated over an open fire, but this was later replaced by a used steam engine purchased by Anne Sechler at a farm auction in Ohio that was originally used with threshing machines. 

With the steam engine and new plumbing installed, Ralph was able to increase his production from 3 bushels at a time to 30 (today we have 3 desalting tanks that each hold 420 bushels at a time). With more product to sell, he started building up his delivery routes and began selling to restaurants outside of Ft. Wayne.  He used this increase in cash flow to add on to the barn, first with a garage-like structure for use as a warehouse and truck storage, then later a second wooden structure to enclose the steam engine and protect it from the elements. In 1937, he began construction on a 25' x 25' addition to be used as a packing room. Unfortunately, on October 10, 1937, just before the structure was finished, a fire destroyed the entire facility. Ralph had just $350 in insurance coverage. 

Thankfully, the story doesn't end there. Ralph committed to re-building the facility bigger and better. With the help of many friends and relatives, his dream became reality so that there are still delicious Sechler's Pickles to enjoy today. 

Quotes and information from 'A History of Sechler's Pickles, 1921-1996' by Frank Sechler

October 1937 Structure Fire

After spending most of the 1930's building his original "factory," Ralph Sechler lost the entire facility to a structure fire on October 10, 1937. With only $350 in insurance, the future of the company looked grim, but Ralph was determined to rebuild and the community was eager to help him. Frank Sechler wrote about the experience in "A History of Sechler's Pickles, 1921-1996:"

"I can still "see" Frank White (employee) when he arrived from Fort Wayne for work on Monday and saw the ashes and debris! But when Dad (Ralph) said he was going to rebuild, up went the rail and kettle, and the wood fire underneath, and Frank started doing things again like when he first went to work for Dad.

Also, Mom (Anne) helped get the basement back into operation only this time, with Frank on the job, we had to fit a relish "squeezer" in the basement and it took up most of the room.

There are several things I remember from when the building burned; one was John Dilley telling Dad not to pay him anything for the one week he helped. Also, Sam and Walter Keesler melted and poured metal to make new bearings for the relish cutter and wouldn't take anything for their work. John Hart, who had helped Dad do many things around the salt stations, got his sons, Donald and Charles, and did the concrete work as well as helping on the tile block laying. Hollis Dilley and "Jiggs" Butler were the other two masons. 

The new 60' x 56' tile block building was finished in a couple of months. A boiler room out of tile was also built at the southeast corner. The roof support structure was all out of local native wood, mostly oak, which Dad had a lot of respect for. He used the same materials in '48 and '60 also. From a food plant standpoint it could have been better, but on the other hand, the only material otherwise available at that time would have been metal and the vinegar and salt atmosphere would have corroded it. As it is, here in 1996, the wooden trusses and joists are still holding up.

The new plant was a great improvement over the barn factory. A "sore" point to Mom and me, especially, was that local people still referred to the new factory as a barn and continued to do so for years."

Onions - 1940's

The following is from “A History of Sechler’s Pickles, 1921-1996” by Frank Sechler

“Dad (Ralph) spent quite a bit of time finding and buying onions for [Meeters, Inc. of Lansing, IL]. These were white onions from pickling (small) sizes to boilers (1 ½ - 2” diameter). Dad would often grow some of one or both.

Onions were grown in the muck in NE Indiana. Good yields were had, but there was a lot of expense as the muck was full of weed seed and until the 1950’s there was no good herbicide. So, the onions had to be weeded by hand.

When onions were mature the tops would wilt and fall over. Then, they were pulled and arranged in “wind rows.” This meant pulling from a couple of rows and making one with the onions all laying in the same direction so the tops covered the bulbs. This was so the sun didn’t sunburn the bulbs which could turn them green. After a week or ten days in the sun the tops would dry to the point when if run over a wooden screen (parallel slats) the fairly dry tops would come off and drop through. Then the partially cleaned onions were put in onion flats (shallow rectangular crates) and stacked up to dry further. All of this was done at the field. When this stage of onion drying was over – perhaps another week – they were taken to the “onion barn” for final clean-up which was running them over a wire mesh shaker run by an electric motor.

There was a period in the late 40’s into early 50’s when we would barrel up several barrels – could be either the small “pickling” sizes or the larger “boiler” size and take them around to people’s homes to get them peeled. The people were usually shut-ins, needing to make some extra money. We would unload a barrel full of onions, take an empty barrel along and then go back when they let us know they were finished. Eventually we discontinued doing this as Dad was afraid of getting in trouble with the Department of Labor for a “sweatshop” practice. It was too bad for the people doing that work as there was little in the way of welfare and social security funds then.”

Ralph Sechler (right) and Frank White (left) - 1948

The following is from “A History of Sechler’s Pickles, 1921-1996” by Frank Sechler

"About this time [early 1930's], the D.M. Sears Company went out of business. We were well into the depression and a lot of businesses went broke. Sears' head of the processing department, who Dad [Ralph] knew while working for Sears in 1920-21, came to St. Joe and asked Dad if he had any work. His name was Frank White. Dad said he could use Frank 'now and then,' but he didn't have the money to hire him full time.

With Frank being available on this basis, Dad and Mom decided to chase the cows (literally) out of the barn behind the house and turn it into the factory. A lot of work was performed including cleaning the barn, pouring a concrete floor, and finding steam power.

In the meantime other crude steps were taken. A copper kettle was secured, concrete blocks stacked on top of each other on either side and a 3" pipe run across across on which the kettle hung. The kettle served two purposes. First it was used to heat the water to desalt the brine stock. This took place by putting three bushels of pickles in a wooden barrel and pouring hot water, heating in the kettle over an open fire onto the salty pickles. The pickles after soaking in water for 24 hours, were then put into vinegar to soak for several days. Then the kettle was again used. This time sugar, water, and spice were mixed in the kettle and the vinegar soaked pickles were added. The temperature was brought up by burning more firewood. After the right temperature was reached, the pickles were dipped out with long wooden-handle dip nets and put into another wooden barrel for aging."

This procedure was used again when the barn burned to the ground in 1937.

Frank wrote, "I can still 'see' Frank White when he arrived from Fort Wayne for work on Monday and saw the ashes and debris! But when Dad said he was going to rebuild, up went the rail and kettle, and the wood fire underneath, and Frank started doing things again like when he first went to work with Dad."

Braceros - Photos from 1956

The following is from “A History of Sechler’s Pickles, 1921-1996” by Frank Sechler

"Hispanics were very much a part of our operations, both in the field and in the plant. Our first and longest lasting association was with the Ortiz family. [Mr. Ortiz] had come with his family to Paulding, Ohio to work for the Paulding Sugar Beet Co. The sugar company's field man told Dad (Ralph) if he would raise some beets, he would send over a real good family and also send some housing. It looked like the two crops (pickles and beets) would work together so Dad took him up on the offer. This was in 1944.

You might say the relationship is still lasting (1996) as just about all of the 14 children worked for us in the field, and usually after they became 16, they went to work in the factory. A number of the grandchildren have worked some and you can bet, when the pepper and tomato plants come in the spring, you will see a number of descendants (second, third, and fourth generations) helping and having a lot of fun.

To get workers from Mexico one had to start with our U.S. Department of Labor which in turn worked with Mexico's Department of Interior. These workers were called Braceros and it was a program which began during the Korean War to alleviate farm worker shortage. A short description is that after all papers had been signed and approved you received your contingent of male workers on the day you wanted them. They usually started to work the day after arrival. They were excellent workers!! Housing costs were at a minimum because we were not providing space for nonproductive women and children.

Most of the workers' money was sent home by air mail. The first week's pay was probably split between family and themselves as they needed clothes. The Braceros would arrive with sandals made of rubber tires, binder twine for belts, numerous patches on clothes, etc.

When they were ready to return, the bus hauling them would have, stacked high on top, bicycles and sewing machines, along with other items bought for their wives and kids.

Our camp for them consisted of an old Sechler farm house and some of the sugar beet Quonset housing which had been given to us.

One evening toward the end of the first year's stay, we went up to the camp and on the rather large metal roof of the lean-to, over the concrete patio, the Braceros had painted in large letters "Rancho Allegre," or "Happy Ranch." Sometimes little things in business can mean a lot - this made us all feel good.

Another thing on the Braceros; most of them wanted to come back the next year. Dad limited the repeats to five. 

The most Braceros we had in one year was 65. That year upon their arrival, Dad, Mom and good friends, Pastor Baker and his wife, and Louise prepared a lot of food for their first evening meal. This no doubt got things off to a good start.

Not all the Mexican contracts have such pleasant memories. Our area through the 1950's still had a lot of tomato canning companies. Ones I remember were in Waterloo, Ashley, Butler, Edon (2), Edgerton, Blakeslee, and Hicksville, to name a few. The tomato harvest followed very close to the pickle harvest, actually overlapping by a week or 10 days. Dad would bend over backwards to keep his people in work, oftentimes at his own expense.

Nevertheless, literally in the dark of the night, the "raiders" from the tomato canners would come into our camps and coax our help into leaving. As any business person knows, the pickles that didn't get harvested on account of this, probably represented our profit. All those harvested to that point merely took care of production costs for the crop.

I really resented this situation. You couldn't blame the workers for wanting to insure that they had another month's work. But the tomato men who were scared that another tomato canner would get our help before they did, could have given us some consideration. A simple handshake could have seen that our needs were met also."

Anne Sechler

New Warehouse Construction - 1965

While Ralph Sechler gets credit for getting Sechler's Pickles up and going, it's clear that the business wouldn't have gone far had it not been for his wife, Anne. Hardworking, intelligent, and always ready to lend a hand, Anne made several contributions to the business that ultimately led to it's success. 

In the 1930's, when Ralph was selling his "St. Joe Valley Pickles," it was Anne and the neighbor lady, Mrs. Martin, who packed the gallon jars by hand in the back kitchen of their home, which now serves as the company's office. Later, the basement of the home was remodeled and made larger so that barrels of pickles could be skid down the stairs to be packed into jars, which Anne still did by hand. At this time, Ralph was exchanging empty gallon jars from the various restaurants he sold to and bringing them home for Anne to wash and re-use with new pickles.

When the business outgrew the basement and expanded into the barn, it was Anne who travelled to a farm auction in Ohio and came home with the steam engine used to power the "factory." This contribution increased the Sechler's daily production from 3 bushels of pickles to 30.

When the barn burned to the ground in 1937, Anne went right back to basement packing like she had done for years (though with a larger volume and more products) while the new building was built.

In the 1940's, it was her attention to detail that caught a dishonest salesmen red handed and led to his termination.

During the "war years," she maintained a pickle rationing system, where customers could place orders (which Anne had to keep track of) to be filled when enough ingredients made their way to the plant for the products to be made. When the orders were ready, Anne would call the customers to let them know it was time to pick up their pickles. She kept up this system for 6 years until the supply returned to normal after the war.

Perhaps her biggest accomplishment, at least according to her son Frank, was single-handedly keeping books for the company despite having no formal training. Frank wrote, "She would read my accounting books and work and read more and ask the CPA more questions, etc...etc. It was a tough job for her, but she stuck with it and did a good job. Anyone who has taken accounting courses can appreciate her contribution with having no daily instruction from a teacher."

Frank also wrote, "Mother would work in the fall sorting apples [for Widney Orchards]. She told me the first thing she did, when she had saved enough money, was to buy Dad a warm coat to wear on his routes where he was trying to build up pickle sales. That may not sound like much, but they were very hard up and struggling to survive...There were many things about our house that never bothered me but were very difficult for Mother such as the threadbare rugs, old furniture in poor condition, and no running water, etc. The things it took to keep the pickle business going had to come first and she knew and accepted it."

How exciting it must have been for Anne to see this "new" warehouse built in 1965 after the years of hard work and sacrifice she put in to make it happen. The business has since added 3 more warehouses to keep up with increasing production and sales, all thanks to the work put in by Ralph and Anne Sechler years ago.

Processing Room and Shop Addition - 1972

With the 1965 new warehouse finally completed, the Sechler's spent the 1970's ramping up production to fill it. In 1972, construction began in two major areas. First, a processing room was added to the Northwest corner of the existing facility. The new processing room allowed space for dedicated de-salting tanks (3 to be exact, each holding 420 bushels of pickles at a time), which not only increased production significantly, but also freed up the copper kettles to do nothing but sweeten pickles, instead of desalting and sweetening.

Second, a maintenance shop/boiler room were added to the Southwest corner. This left a large open cavity on the west side of the factory, sandwiched between the processing room to the north and the shop to the south. It probably looked a little silly to those passing by, but it was all part of the overall plan. Later, this cavity would be enclosed and become a dedicated sweetening room in 1978.

Sweetening Room Construction - 1978

With a processing room already built to the north and a maintenance shop to the south, the middle cavity on the western wall of the factory was enclosed in 1978 to create a Sweetening Room. This expansion was not only necessary to keep up with increasing demand, but it allowed for the installation of modern equipment that drastically reduced the impact the hard work of moving pickles had on the employees.

The copper kettles, once hung on a rail above an open fire, are now fully heated by steam and suspended several feet up in the air. Instead of using pickle nets to dip barrels of desalted pickles into the kettles one net-full at a time, employees could now use a brand new machine that lifts the whole barrel up in the air and pours the entire 50 gallons of product into the kettle in a matter of seconds. Then, rather than dip the finished pickles out one net-full at a time, a metal tub can be positioned under the kettle, which now swings on a rotator to dump the product into the tub.

The new sweetening room also holds a dice table, used for draining excess vinegar off soured pickle cubes before being sweetened into our Sweet Diced Salad Pickles, and a relish blender, capable of blending 250 gallons of relish in a single batch. The room is also large enough to hold an entire semi-truck load of sugar at a time, with room left over to store most of dried spices that are used throughout the factory in a variety of recipes.

Retail Showroom - Date Unknown

The following excerpt is from "A History of Sechler's Pickles, 1921-1996" by Frank Sechler

"Long before the concept of factory outlets, we were selling pickles to consumers who could not find them in stores in their hometown. "Word of mouth" was a big thing for us. Especially Dad and I (if I wasn't in school or in the service) would open a barrel of this or that kind of pickle and pack them right in front of the customer. Of course this, although not planned, lent "romance" to the fact that the customer had stumbled onto something most of his friends still didn't know about.

Another thing which added impetus to that was that in 1939-40 Mrs. Carl Akins opened her "tea room" in St. Joe. What she had done was turn the whole downstairs of her house into rooms for serving home-fried chicken, and all the good things that went with it. She became famous in DeKalb County and other points nearby. Her key condiment was St. Joe Valley Cinnamon Chips. People eating them wanted to know where she got them, and it was only 1 1/2 mile north! They came to the factory and found other varieties including Raisin Crispies, Sweet Mixed, Sweet Dill Wafers (discontinued), and finally in 1940, Candied Orange Strips.

In the war years, with sugar rationing on us, Dad (Ralph) and Mom (Anne) started a pickle packing rationing program. People had to place an order which would be filled when we had enough sugar to make "their" pickles. Mom kept a meticulous card system for about six years. She used to tell about one man who had waited for his card from her telling him his order was ready to pick up. The day came when he could come get the order, and on his way back to the car, he dropped a gallon of Raisin Crispies and broke it. She had figured so close on what was available when she mailed the cards that she couldn't give (sell) a replacement. This bothered her for years as she was a very conscientious person.

A contributing factory to this "tragedy" was that there probably was no carton available to put his purchase in. Cardboard was one of the many items in short supply during WWII.

A slight obstacle we had to overcome in the early "factory outlet" concept was my favorite pet of all time, Billy the goat. Billy ran loose around the house and plant. I could go on and on about his escapades to amuse us. But the thing that caused us trouble was his habit of getting on the roofs of visitors' cars. In those days, cars had a running board, a fender easily available to a goat from the running board, then a hood (the next step) and then the roof. Many of the roofs were still of the cloth variety. You can see we had to do something when he discovered how much fun it was to get on top of a car.

This period of time also saw the start of a small mail order business. The first orders were from local customers wanting to send someone special a gallon of pickles. One of the plant men would tear apart a wooden box in which our closures and spices came to us in during the 1940's, then he would cut and fit a box to hold a gallon. We would pack wooden excelsior around the jar and it was ready.

In those years we shipped everything by Railway Express. This was the method until the 1950's when Railway Express pulled out of Auburn. Toward the latter part of this period we were able to get triple-walled corrugated and had several size cartons - 1 gallon, 2 gallon, and 4 gallon cartons made. These were very satisfactory for Railway Express. We even had some cartons made out of double walled corrugated for an assortment of pint-size containers. We added a light weight sleeve for some extra protection and this was all fine and dandy for the Railway Express.

When we were finally forced to ship by Parcel Post, our whole mail order program had to change. We couldn't afford the type of packaging needed for the heavier gallons to protect them from rough handling, so we cut out gallon and half gallon shipments entirely. The multiple pint carton which worked for express was too fragile for parcel post. The result was to have cartons which were very tough and protective, made for various multiples of pint jars. We thought it would be too expensive and people would just not order. But it didn't seem to make any difference, as they continued to order.

In the late 70's and early 80's, Fran Sechler (wife of Frank) did a lot to make both the retail room and mail order business an important part of the overall sales effort. Up to that time it was certainly an interesting part - getting letters from distant places, having people come in and tell you how far they had to come to get the pickles, etc. But, with Fran's care and nurturing, and friendly treatment of everyone, it finally became a profitable part of the business."

Frank Sinatra - Pickle Lover

The following is from an article in the Courier Journal, May 21, 1998

"When a man claiming to be Frank Sinatra's chef called Sechler's Pickles five years ago to place an order, the pickle workers giggled...But it was no joke. The late singer's fondness for sweet pickles had led his chef to Sechler's, an award-winning producer that makes more than 40 types of flavored cucumbers...

He bought about 36 jars a year, always paying with his credit card, and always sending ripples of excitement and pride throughout the factory...

Somewhere along the way, a secretary asked the singer for an autographed photo. A glossy of Sinatra has hung on the factory wall ever since - the portrait of a cultural icon, a brilliant entertainer and, most important, a pickle lover.

'To my friends at Sechler's Pickles,' Sinatra wrote, '...all the best, Frank Sinatra.'"

President Eisenhower - Pickle Lover

The following story from Frank Sechler's, "A History of Sechler's Pickles, 1921-1996"

"Dad (Ralph) never felt ne needed a larger truck to haul in supplies such as sugar, glass, vinegar, or salt. So, he would use local people who had a truck. Among them were Bill Hurni or John Coburn that I remember; and one from Hicksville that I can't remember. Of course, the one he used the most and the longest was Carl Carpenter, a local farmer living close to the plant. I suppose Carl helped us from 1950-1975. It didn't matter what he was doing on the farm, he would leave it, check out his truck and then go on whatever mission we selected - a delivery or a pick-up of supplies. Many times I felt guilty, but he always wanted to help. Carl always had an interest which ran deeper than just driving a truck for us. He was a great PR man, and always "talking up" our Company and its products.

One time Carl was going to Washington DC to attend a National Grange conference. He asked me if I would let him take a gift assortment to Ike. It was easier to say "yes" than to try and convince him it would be useless to try. However, a week or so later we received a letter from the White House, and signed by President Eisenhower, thanking us for the pickles!"

Fundraisers

The following story from Frank Sechler's, "A History of Sechler's Pickles, 1921-1996"

"In 1958 Pastor Sapp from the Angola First United Methodist Church asked Dad if he would let the church start selling Sechler's pickles as a fundraiser. Again, Dad said, "Okay." This was the start of what would become a very interesting program with over 200 fundraisers on our mailing list.

At first there were predictions and warnings that it would alienate our supermarkets. This fear was especially felt by the Stanz Company of South Bend, because soon after Angola, other Methodist churches in Goshen and Elkhart started selling. But, a few years after that, Stanz became our largest distributor and held that position until they decided to concentrate on food service.

Sometimes it worked in another way. St. Luke's in Kokomo became our largest fundraiser. When St. Luke's started selling pickles we had very poor distribution in Kokomo at the supermarket level. Now, every store in Kokomo has some Sechler's pickles.

Our second largest fundraiser was Messiah in Muncie. Several times when Messiah started, I would put their order in the trunk and back seat of my car, as I had friends to visit in Muncie. The friends were Ruth and Frank Stevenson. Frank was pastor of Trinity Lutheran in Muncie. Within a few years we were delivering in our semi - maybe not a full load - but a big load.

Nearly all of our fundraisers picked up at the plant, as this is one way volunteers from the membership can add to the profitability of the project by saving freight costs."

Our fundraiser business is still alive and thriving today. With excellent product recognition and one of the most flexible selling plans you can find, Sechler's Pickles practically sell themselves! If you are interested in partnering with us for your next fundraiser, you can contact us via phone at 800-332-5461 or by email here: Email.

Private Labelling - Tony Packo's

The following from Frank Sechler’s “A History of Sechler’s Pickles, 1921-1996”

“Lou [Mead] had spent around 30 years with Aunt Jane’s Pickles and became their national sales manager. Soon after that Aunt Janes sold to Bordens. Lou left and went to work for another pickle company by the name of Safie Food Products.

Several years went by and one day Lou called me to see if we would run 200 cases of gallon hamburger dills for a valued customer of his. Safie wouldn’t stop their pepper pack to run the 200 cases. I said we could and would do it for him. Then I suggested that we might be interested in some more business if he could throw some our way. We were pretty weak in the Toledo area and in Michigan. This was Lou’s home and he was familiar with many potential customers.

Over the next 7-8 years, Lou got us some nice business. He succeeded in getting the Tony Packo family interested in talking to us. First, we furnished them with pepper chunks in 5 gallon pails which they mixed with pickle chunks bought from another dealer. Then, we sold them both products. After starting this, they wanted us to mix and ship that product. They were using the bulk to put in a side dish and handpacking in quart jars to sell at the cash register.

Eventually the business evolved into our packing the original product for Packo’s. Then over the years, between their ideas for product and our ideas for product, the line expanded. With Packo’s energy devoted to marketing, the Tony Packo label is quite well distributed in the Midwest today.”

Photo credit: Tony Packo's

Celebrating 75 Years – 1996

In 1996 Frank Sechler retired as President and passed the torch to his two children, David and Karen Sechler, with David serving as President and Karen as Vice President. Wanting his children and the business to succeed, Frank continued to visit the factory from time to time to check in and offer wisdom and advice.

With nearly a century of pickle knowledge and product recognition under their belts, the 3^rd generation Sechler’s focused their efforts on their extensive line of Candied Sweet products…something that set them apart from other pickle companies then and continues to do so today. Frank taught his children well. During their years leading the company, David and Karen focused their energy on creating quality products every day and encouraged their employees to do the same. This attention to detail not only helped the company retain many of the long-time customers established by their father and grandfather, but also gained them more customers who remain loyal to this day.

A year after their dad’s retirement, David and Karen hired Max Troyer as General Manager. Max would go on to buy the company from the Sechler’s 10 years later.

A Centennial Celebration – 2021

Who could have possibly thought that a young couple from St. Joe, Indiana could start a business in their kitchen that would last 100 years? Even more impressive, a company that would withstand a Great Depression, a devastating fire, two World Wars, a Great Recession and a global pandemic and still be thriving after 100 years? But that’s exactly what happened to Ralph and Anne Sechler’s little company started back in 1921. Words can’t describe the amount of pride the entire St. Joe community felt in 2021 when Senator Kruse awarded Sechler’s Pickles with a Certificate of Congratulations for 100 Years of Service. After all, there are very few St. Joe residents alive today who haven’t spent at least a summer working at the pickle factory! Though the memory of the backbreaking work of picking pickles, or carefully washing burning hands after a day of packing peppers never fully fades away, most employees look back on their time at Sechler’s fondly and have many more good memories than bad.

Unfortunately, the 100^th Anniversary celebration didn’t receive the pomp and circumstance that it deserved, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Though restrictions were loosening throughout the country, the food industry was still kept on a tight leash, so there were no visitors welcomed into the factory for a celebration. The St. Joe Pickle Festival did return after a 1-year hiatus in 2020, but not like it was in 2019. The large, buffet-style pickle sampling table was replaced by a small table with an employee dishing out individual servings in small disposable cups, and there were no factory tours. 

Thankfully, things improved over the next 12 months. By Pickle Fest 2022, not only was the factory once again open for free tours, but also the State of Indiana held a special ceremony for the unveiling of Sechler’s Pickles’ very own Indiana State Historical Marker.

Installation of the State Historical Marker - 2022

Visitors to Sechler’s Pickles today can’t miss the Indiana State Historical Marker as it stands next to the driveway welcoming everyone in. Demonstrating just how loved this company is by it’s community, dozens gathered under umbrellas on a cold, rainy Saturday morning for the unveiling ceremony in July, 2022.

The first side, facing the road, reads, “Ralph and Anne Sechler established Sechler’s Pickles (first named St. Joe Valley) on their homestead here in the 1920s. Despite the Great Depression, they grew the business, selling many varieties of pickles to local restaurants and building a larger processing facility in 1937. By the early 1950s, grocery stores across Indiana and Ohio carried Sechler’s Pickles.”

The second side reads, “Workers of Mexican origin, including Braceros who arrived in the 1940s to aid the U.S. war effort, were essential to the Sechlers’ success. Several of these families remained with the company for decades. A network of salesmen, mail orders, church fundraisers, and partnerships with well-known companies made Sechler’s Pickles a respected and nationally recognized brand.”

The full annotated text and list of sponsors can be found online at: https://www.in.gov/history/state-historical-markers/find-a-marker/find-historical-markers-by-county/indiana-historical-markers-by-county/sechlers-pickles/

Photo credits: IN.gov & KPC News

Parades and Festivals

Not much is known about the black and white photo above. Sadly, it isn't even dated. It does appear to be a parade float, perhaps for a church or youth organization sponsored by Sechler's Pickles.

The second photo was taken in 2019 during the St. Joe Pickle Festival in St. Joe, Indiana. Current owner, Max Troyer (right), his dad, Howard (left), and son, Jake (middle), served as the grand marshals of the Pickle Fest Parade, a tradition since the festival began in 1995. Though the flatbed truck from the older photo is no longer part of the festivities, festival visitors today love to hear the lighthearted, happy music from Howard's calliope.

 The St. Joe Pickle Festival takes place on the 3rd weekend of July each year. It features music, craft and food vendors, and lots of pickle-themed fun! Sechler's Pickles is proud to offer free samples at the festival in downtown St. Joe, as well as free tours of our factory north of town.

For more information, see our Pickle Festival Information page.

For more information specific to factory tours during the festival, see our Tour Information page.