East Northport natives Cori Anne and Randy Kopke both grew up in a family of gardeners and loved pickled foods made from their harvests.
“Watching plants grow and harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden was a fun and magical part of our childhood,” Cori Anne said of herself and her husband, Randy. “Many of our family members also made their own recipes from what was growing outside. There were jams, relishes, pickled green tomatoes, pickled spicy cabbage and cucumber salad, to name a few.” She added, “At Randy’s grandparents’ house, there were always plates of garlic pickles served with sharp cheddar cheese.”
But the Cutchogue couple had no idea that cucumbers would one day be their livelihood. They are the owners of Backyard Brine, an artisanal pickle wholesaler whose customers include Whole Foods Market, King Kullen, Stop & Shop, Stew Leonard’s, Uncle Giuseppe’s, Tops Friendly Markets and Wild by Nature.
“In our first year we sold about 15,000 jars and to date we have sold over 1 million jars,” said Cori Anne.
Randy, 50, said the idea for a pickle business came from Cori Anne’s brother’s wedding in May 2013. At the time, Randy owned a tile and stonemasonry business in Northport and Cori Anne was a dance teacher and accountant. The couple made pickles at home from their garden and gave the jars away to friends and family.
When 100 jars of pickles were purchased as wedding gifts, that was a turning point, Randy said. The Kopkes founded Backyard Brine, and in February 2014, their pickles were available in their first major store – IGA.
“The pickles (for the wedding) were a hit and Backyard Brine was born,” Randy said. There was one downside, however. “We had no idea how to build a grocery business and sell in stores.”
The duo met with a consultant from Stony Brook University’s Small Business Development Center. “She gave us a book with all the requirements we need to meet to get our product on the shelves,” said Cori Anne, 48. “We got to work learning about UPCs (Universal Product Codes or bar codes), planned processes (commercial recipes) and labeling requirements. Also, pickles are a pickled food and require canning certification.”
Randy became certified in the production of long-lasting canned goods, and the couple used the Stony Brook incubator in Calverton, which startups can rent by the hour, for a commercial kitchen.
“Randy and I would go there after work with our dads, who kindly gave their time to help us chop vegetables and fill all the jars. We didn’t have any fancy commercial equipment back then, just a few sharp knives and mandolins… I remember a lot of band-aids.”
To get the business going, the Kopkes spent weekends at local farmers markets and vendor stands, and it was “persistence and luck” that got Backyard Brine onto the shelves of major retailers and smaller shops, according to Cori Anne. Other offerings from the brand include gourmet mustard and barbecue sauce.
About a year after the incubator kitchen was up and running, the Kopkes realized they needed a larger space and moved their operation to space on Cox Lane in Cutchogue. They now have a co-packer in the Hudson Valley and work from their home on Long Island and another in St. Augustine, Florida.
Their cucumbers now come from all over the country and are no longer products of Kopke’s garden and North Fork Farms.
“Our production kitchen in Cutchogue could only make 500 to 700 jars a day, but our new production facility is now making 6,000 a day,” said Cori Anne.
She added that a new goal is to expand Backyard Brine’s presence in the South.
“The pickle industry has grown in recent years,” said Cori Anne. “More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of cucumbers – whether it’s the electrolytes or the probiotics they provide.”
“There is also a much wider range of good pickles on the market now, in addition to the traditional, older brands. And the trend towards cured meats has definitely contributed to pickle consumption,” she said.
East Northport natives Cori Anne and Randy Kopke both grew up in a family of gardeners and loved pickled foods made from their harvests.
“Watching plants grow and harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden was a fun and magical part of our childhood,” Cori Anne said of herself and her husband, Randy. “Many of our family members also made their own recipes from what was growing outside. There were jams, relishes, pickled green tomatoes, pickled spicy cabbage and cucumber salad, to name a few.” She added, “At Randy’s grandparents’ house, there were always plates of garlic pickles served with sharp cheddar cheese.”
But the Cutchogue couple had no idea that cucumbers would one day be their livelihood. They are the owners of Backyard Brine, an artisanal pickle wholesaler whose customers include Whole Foods Market, King Kullen, Stop & Shop, Stew Leonard’s, Uncle Giuseppe’s, Tops Friendly Markets and Wild by Nature.
“In our first year we sold about 15,000 jars and to date we have sold over 1 million jars,” said Cori Anne.
Randy, 50, said the idea for a pickle business came from Cori Anne’s brother’s wedding in May 2013. At the time, Randy owned a tile and stonemasonry business in Northport and Cori Anne was a dance teacher and accountant. The couple made pickles at home from their garden and gave the jars away to friends and family.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Backyard Brine is a craftsman Pickle company founded by East Northport couple Cori Anne and Randy Kopke.
- The company’s products were first offered at farmers markets, farm stands and small shops on Long Island.
- In the first year of operation About 15,000 jars of Backyard Brine Pickles have been sold and that number has rapidly increased to over 1 million jars.
When 100 jars of pickles were purchased as wedding gifts, that was a turning point, Randy said. The Kopkes founded Backyard Brine, and in February 2014, their pickles were available in their first major store – IGA.
“The pickles (for the wedding) were a hit and Backyard Brine was born,” Randy said. There was one downside, however. “We had no idea how to build a grocery business and sell in stores.”
The duo met with a consultant from Stony Brook University’s Small Business Development Center. “She gave us a book with all the requirements we need to meet to get our product on the shelves,” said Cori Anne, 48. “We got to work learning about UPCs (Universal Product Codes or bar codes), planned processes (commercial recipes) and labeling requirements. Also, pickles are a pickled food and require canning certification.”
Randy became certified in the production of long-lasting canned goods, and the couple used the Stony Brook incubator in Calverton, which startups can rent by the hour, for a commercial kitchen.
“Randy and I would go there after work with our dads, who kindly gave their time to help us chop vegetables and fill all the jars. We didn’t have any fancy commercial equipment back then, just a few sharp knives and mandolins… I remember a lot of band-aids.”
To get the business going, the Kopkes spent weekends at local farmers markets and vendor stands, and it was “persistence and luck” that got Backyard Brine onto the shelves of major retailers and smaller shops, according to Cori Anne. Other offerings from the brand include gourmet mustard and barbecue sauce.
About a year after the incubator kitchen was up and running, the Kopkes realized they needed a larger space and moved their operation to space on Cox Lane in Cutchogue. They now have a co-packer in the Hudson Valley and work from their home on Long Island and another in St. Augustine, Florida.
Their cucumbers now come from all over the country and are no longer products of Kopke’s garden and North Fork Farms.
“Our production kitchen in Cutchogue could only make 500 to 700 jars a day, but our new production facility is now making 6,000 a day,” said Cori Anne.
She added that a new goal is to expand Backyard Brine’s presence in the South.
“The pickle industry has grown in recent years,” said Cori Anne. “More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of cucumbers – whether it’s the electrolytes or the probiotics they provide.”
“There is also a much wider range of good pickles on the market now, in addition to the traditional, older brands. And the trend towards cured meats has definitely contributed to pickle consumption,” she said.
