Cover crops, returnable totes, and the long contract.
We've been at this for two centuries. The thing that lasts is the soil and the relationship with the grower. Everything in this section is in our standard contract. None of it is optional and none of it is purchased through offsets.
-
Soil
Cover cropping is contract-required across the Great Lakes Pickle Belt and the Polk County Cooperative. The heirloom rotations in Lancaster County are biodynamic, certified by Demeter, with a four-year crop rotation including legumes, grains, brassicas, and the cucurbit cycle. We do not contract with growers who lay fields fallow with herbicide.
-
Water
Drip irrigation on every field grower under contract since 2011. The greenhouse cluster in Leamington runs closed-loop hydroponics with reverse-osmosis recovery. The Houston brine drum facility uses RO water for the pickling brine, and we recycle returned tote brine into the next batch where the salt index allows.
-
Packaging
Our 50-lb totes and 55-gallon brine drums are food-grade HDPE, returnable on the standard pallet exchange. The English Slicing flow-wrap is recyclable PP film; we are piloting a paper alternative through a Westland partner for 2026. Cardboard cases are FSC-certified, single-walled, no plastic strapping.
-
Carbon
We measure Scope 1 and 2 across the four warehouses and the Houston brining yard. Scope 3 is estimated by tonnage-mile across our truck and rail freight. We route inland from the closest deepwater port for the Westland and Sinaloa networks. We do not buy offsets in lieu of measured reductions.
-
Labor
Every grower contract requires verified compliance with U.S. Department of Labor or local equivalent wage and hour rules. The Oaxaca gherkin cooperative is Fair Trade certified, with a documented premium reinvested in cooperative housing and equipment. Our field auditors visit each region annually.
-
Genetics
Half our catalog is open-pollinated, including the National Pickling line (USDA, 1924) and the Boston Pickling heritage variety (Burpee, 1881). Polk County cooperative members save seed each year from the prior harvest. We do not source from gene-edited or genetically modified cucurbits.
Audited annually
Every certification below is held by a specific operation in our network and audited under the issuing body's published cycle. We list the year the certification was first held; many are continuous since.
- USDA OrganicSpecialty and heritage SKUsHeld since 1992
- GlobalGAPGreenhouse and field operationsHeld since 2008
- Primus-GFSSinaloa Persian and gherkin networkHeld since 2014
- GAP-CertifiedAll North American field growersHeld since 2002
- Demeter-BiodynamicLancaster heritage programHeld since 2017
- Rainforest AllianceWestland Growers CouncilHeld since 2019
- Fair TradeOaxaca cooperative gherkin contractHeld since 2016
- Non-GMO Project VerifiedAll open-pollinated heritage linesHeld since 2011
- Kosher (OU)Brining stock and pickling linesHeld since 1958
- FSMA-CompliantAll processing and warehouse facilitiesHeld since 2017
- California Certified OrganicSonoma Lemon Cucumber and Yolo Armenian Yard-LongHeld since 2003
- Heirloom VerifiedBoston Pickling and National Pickling linesHeld since 2019
Need certification documentation?
Trade account holders can pull current certificates from the account portal. Buyers in evaluation can request a documentation packet through the contact page. We respond inside two business days.