Produce Profile: Pickles

Back in 1991/92, a total of 100 hectares of pickling cucumbers were grown in Griffith. (Jones, 1996). Fast forward 30 years, and 260 hectares are being grown on the Parle family’s property alone, this Summer.

The Parle family are the reason why the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) can proudly say that all Australian McDonald’s pickles are produced here. The family have been the sole supplier of McDonald’s Australia’s pickles since 1980 and have won the franchise’s Supplier of the Year award 2023!

We were able to chat with Operations Manager, Ben Parle, to pick(le) his brain for some first-hand insight into pickle production in the MIA.

Why does this produce pickle people’s fancy?

To explain the appeal of growing pickles, Ben talked about his own family’s farming development, which took a turn into pickles in the 1980s.

“Growing pickles is a niche market,” he said.

“It’s very hard to get into but once you’re in and have the equipment, you’re set up very well.”

“My parents and grandparents were struggling rice and wheat growers in the 80s and there were good opportunities around growing cucumbers at the time.”

“They got into producing pickles in stages, which extended into the processing opportunity in 1990.”

Ben also attributes a healthy optimism and his father’s knowledge of the process behind producing pickles, as influences on the attraction to try growing pickles.

“My Dad’s pretty bright and understood the fermentation science and problems the previous supplier was experiencing,” he explained.

“McDonald’s had issues with their quality, and he could see how to make the necessary changes for his process.”

Ben admits that one of the hardest aspects of growing pickles is that all the equipment and infrastructure is exclusive to pickles and cannot be used for any other vegetable or crop. The Parle family have even altered and made much of their own equipment to be fit-for-purpose.

When discussing the popularity of pickles, Ben pointed out that pickles are a Scandinavian product that got introduced to our diets when McDonald’s came to Australia.

“They are known as one of McDonald’s core ingredients because it is a staple in their core burgers: the Big Mac, Cheeseburger and Quarter Pounder,” he said.

“The sour flavour profile adds a lot to a burger.”

“They’re an acquired taste. Little kids don’t tend to like them because they have quite a strong flavour.”

Ben also attributes the crunch of pickles to their appeal as it is a quality that he personally values as well.

Pick(le)ing up what irrigation is putting down

To water their crops, the Parle family use centre-pivot irrigation.

“Centre-pivot irrigators are like a big sprinkler,” Ben explained.

“These irrigators have sprinklers built up on wheels so they overhang the crop, walking around an anchored centre point in a big circle. This is why our paddocks are circular.”

“We have seven irrigators that are responsible for 100 hectares each. There is usually one or two of them running everyday in summer,” Ben added.

“They can be controlled by phone through an app called Fieldwise. The technology to automatically control the irrigation pivots was set-up thirteen years ago to save manual handling.”

Take your pick(le)

Parle family pickles are used exclusively for McDonald’s but that doesn’t stop Ben from enjoying other types of pickles.

“I have pickles on every sandwich I eat,” he said.

“I can even take my McDonald’s burger home and put more pickles on it.”

When asked if the pickles his family produces are his favourite, Ben admitted that he couldn’t eat them on their own because the McDonald’s style of pickles are very sour.

“It’s a powerful flavour that is meant to be on a burger,” he said.

Lifting the lid off the MIA pickle jar

“We do not sell our produce to supermarkets, nor are we a brand name,” Ben revealed.

“We don’t market and you can’t come to the farm and buy our product.”

Ben explained that his family is a processer for another company.

“The fact that we supply all of Australian McDonald’s pickles isn’t very well advertised,” he said.

Being the sole supplier for McDonald’s pickles Australia-wide is a source of pride for both the Parle family and the MIA.

Ben says it’s exciting that there is a second McDonald’s opening up in Griffith which means there will be another local outlet using Parle family produced pickles!

The pick(le) of the crop