We interviewed Lindsay Bisbee, founder of Kyōōkz, about her locally made pickles.
In 2014, I made homemade pickles for a Super Bowl party. I chose to make them myself because I have always loved refrigerator pickles, but wanted a bit more flavor without preservatives and artificial flavors. They were a hit at the party and I began getting several requests each week to make more. The more I made them, the more I was able to experiment with different flavors to perfect the recipe.
I made the decision to start the company when I received an order from a local restaurant. I contacted the NC Department of Agriculture to research the steps I needed to take to begin production. Then, I enrolled in an Acidified Foods Manufacturing course at NC State to educate myself on food safety.
I officially launched Kyōōkz in the Spring of 2016.
What is your background?
I have a Biology & Chemistry degree from Northern Arizona University. I worked in the environmental laboratory field for several years as well as the medical field. But when I had my third child, I decided to put my career on hold for a while. I guess you could say I kept experimenting after I left the laboratory, but switched my focus to food. Like many moms, I wanted my family to eat food without preservatives and artificial flavors as much as
possible. So, I found myself making a lot of food from scratch.
Tell us about your production.
We currently produce our products at the Piedmont Food & Agricultural Processing Center, a kitchen incubator located in Hillsborough, NC. It’s been a tremendous resource for our company to launch and grow.
We currently produce several times per month. Unlike shelf-stable pickles that can be produced once per year, we like to keep our product as fresh as possible. This also allows us to eliminate the use of preservatives or artificial flavors. Kyōōkz has a 4-month shelf-life, so we are constantly balancing our inventory to maintain our quality standards.
After production, Kyōōkz saturates approximately one week in our brine before they are distributed. And, the flavors tend to intensify over time. So, we find our shelf-life to be perfect for flavor and freshness.
For now, the product line is limited to pickles. We are working on developing another variety to add to our line. We hope to launch that pickle late Summer 2016. As for pickling other vegetables, we currently have no plans to venture out. But, we haven’t discounted the idea.
Do you collaborate with local farmers?
We currently source our cukes during the summer growing season from Floppy Hat Farms in Hillsborough, NC. They began planting our seeds in April 2016 and we are looking forward to harvesting the cukes very soon. Growing season for cukes in NC doesn’t tend to last long, so we are testing a more resistant variety to extend the season. We are excited to work with local farmers whenever possible!
Do you have employees?
We have several employees who not only assist in regular kitchen production, but also grow the business. With the assistance of all the wonderful people who have helped us at and through PFAP, our product launch has been a successful one.