Meet Pejmon, Bijan, & Jose of Proper’s Pickle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pejmon Noori.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My brother Bijan and I started Proper’s Pickle in 2014 but our pickling journey started decades ago. We started making pickles when we were kids. Our dad always was always making varieties of different pickled veggies with tons of different flavors so we always wanted to help out with pickling process as well as the eating process. So, we developed a taste and skill for making pickles a long time ago. As we got older we continued using the skills we learned and often made our own pickled veggies for friends and family, often as gifts for the holidays. The pickles were a crowd favorite among social gatherings and we often received the comment, “You guys should start selling these!!!” We usually just laughed it off and never really put any further thought into it.

And in 2014, my brother knew someone who managed a farmer’s market here in Long Beach, so we finally decided to give it a shot and take a bunch jars down to see if people actually liked our pickles or if our friends and family were just being nice with their flattering compliments. We were stoked to see that people loved our products and we sold all our jars that week. So, we went back the following week with another batch and sold them all again. Here we are about 3 years later and we have about 50 retail locations in SoCal that carry our products, restaurants that use our products on their menus and still do about 6 farmers markets per week!

Has it been a smooth road?
The road to where we are has definitely had some struggles. Once we decided to officially make this a business as opposed to a hobby we encountered a lot of obstacles. Mostly, because neither of us had any experience in the food/grocery industry so everything was a “learn as you go” sort of strategy. Between acquiring all the proper certifications and then trying to crack your way into an industry that you have no experience in, it would seem overwhelming and daunting at times. And while we have been doing it for a few years now, we are still run into a struggle and learn something new every single day. Which still makes running our business stressful at times but knowing that there are people out there that love our product and that we can offer them a healthy, fresh and delicious alternative to what has been on the market for so many years, makes it all worth it.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Proper’s Pickle, we make delicious all-natural pickled vegetables. We take pride in using the freshest ingredients with no preservatives/artificial flavors/food coloring and no sugar. We use fresh dill and garlic in every jar. Our dill pickles are unique because we use a Persian Cucumber which are much more fresh and crunchy than traditional pickling cucumbers. We do these in a classic dill flavor but I prefer the spicy dill which has fresh habanero pepper in it. We pickle a variety of other vegetables including pickle green beans, serrano chili peppers, and one of our most popular items, which is the pickled cauliflower. The cauliflower is a huge crowd favorite.

Currently, I would say that we are most proud of our newest product which are the pickle snack packs!!! These are single serving pouches that we just launched. We are currently carrying them in two varieties, classic dill and pickled carrots but we will be carrying more flavors and varieties soon. These little guys are perfect for taking a healthy and tasty snack on the go. As experienced “snackers” we know it can be tough to avoid sugary and unhealthy snacks. So, we thought our product would make the perfect snack items. Currently we are just offering these at our local farmers markets and special events but are expecting them to be in some select grocers by 2018.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like our city has both its pros and cons to starting a business like ours. The biggest con being that since we are part of a huge hub for the food industry there is a ton of competition out there. Especially when you are the “new kid on the block”. Because there are a lot of major corporations that have endless resources, taking business from them can seem impossible. However, with that being said LA/Long Beach have a great local community that love to support their local and small businesses. Not only that but the “foody” scene is exploding and people are caring more and more about the quality of their food every day. They like to know where their food is coming from what is in it. These are some of the reasons I would definitely recommend starting out here. Because while you may encounter some major competition, we also have a huge and diverse market.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.properspickle.com
• Email: orders@properspickle.com
• Instagram: @properspickle
• Facebook: /properspickle
• Twitter: @properspickle

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