Passion for pickle juice leads to Pucker
Passion is an interesting thing when it comes to jobs. Some of us devote our time to creating artwork or writing books or amassing real state.
Ron Deel has pinned his passion on pickles, so he’s asking you to please pucker up, because this Cocoa resident has come up with a concoction that should make you healthier. We’re talking Pucker Pickle Juice.
Question: What is your history, Ron?
Answer: I was born in Florida, but my family moved to Michigan while I was still a child. I moved back to Florida in 1994. I have worked a variety of jobs, mostly in manufacturing and warehousing, unfortunately, nothing that involved learning how to run a business. I am learning that as I go.
I now am employed at Morton Salt with a work schedule that allows me to work on Pucker Pickle Juice-related activities during the day.
Q: Hobbies?
A: My free time is spent on trying to grow the juice business. When I am not working, I like to read and do projects around the house.
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Q: How did you get into the pickle juice business?
A: I didn’t begin with the intention of starting a business, I just wanted to stop seeing dried-up pickles in the fridge due to my drinking all of the juice.
It took months of trial and error, but eventually I came up with just the right amount of ingredients and boil time that resulted in a drink that mimics the flavor of pickle juice without having to use cucumbers. I just brewed it for myself and friends initially, but interest grew, and when strangers began knocking on the door asking for some pickle juice, I began thinking of starting a pickle juice business.
Q: Why the name?
A: My identical twin brother, Donald, came up with the name Pucker Pickle Juice, and we became business partners in this venture. We funded this business with our own money earned from warehouse jobs. When we needed more money for permits or training, we would put in extra hours at our regular jobs to pay for it.
We wanted to be able to sell online, which is a whole new level of permitting and training requirements.
The Department of Agriculture was very helpful in telling me what was required to achieve this, and in September of 2016 we passed the inspection certifying Pucker Pickle Juice as a shelf-stable product with no refrigeration needed.
Q: Please describe Pucker Pickle Juice in 25 words or less.
A: Pucker Pickle Juice is a tasty vinegar-based beverage great for those who crave the salty goodness of pickle juice. Get the pucker without the pickle.
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Q: Are there health benefits to pickle juice?
A: I wasn’t aware of all the benefits of pickle juice until after I started making it. I drank it because I craved the flavor. When we started selling at local markets, people started telling me how they used pickle juice. Athletes use it to cure cramps, some drink it for hangovers, and others swear pickle juice relieved their indigestion and heartburn. Anybody who loses salt through sweating can benefit from drinking Pucker Pickle Juice.
Q: How is the juice made?
A: There are critical control points we strictly adhere to for a safe as well as tasty beverage. We use a pH meter to test acidity levels throughout the process and thermometers to monitor temperatures as it cools. I have an FDA-required certificate in better process control from the University of California at Davis, and I make sure we follow the processes correctly.
Q: What’s the secret for the flavor?
A: The secret to making a flavorful pickle juice is in the mix of the ingredients and boiling it for the right amount of time. Small changes in either of these parts of the process results in a much different flavor. We stick rigorously to the original formula to be assured of a consistent flavor. We use high-pressure propane burners that sound like a small jet engine when in use.
Q: What can’t you live without in the kitchen?
A: The pH meters, thermometers, and a good burner are essential in making Pucker Pickle Juice.
Q: Words that describe you?
A: A trait that has been helpful is my hyperactivity. In elementary school, I was the kid being called to sit in the front row. Sometimes the teacher would even put my desk in the hall so I would stop disrupting the class. Then I would just disrupt the other classes. I couldn’t sit still. I never grew out of that hyper stage. Instead of sitting around when I am not busy, I work on ways to improve the business.
Q: What is in your bucket list?
A: I really want to not have to work for somebody else. And I would like to find a woman who can tolerate my inability to relax and who understands the sacrifices I am making now are for a better future.
Q: Famous person you’d love to see enjoying Pucker Pickle Juice?
A: I like the investments Elon Musk has made in our local economy, and since we started and are based in Brevard, I would like to see Elon Musk drinking Pucker Pickle Juice. Maybe he could make Pucker Pickle Juice synonymous with SpaceX as Tang is synonymous with NASA.
Q: Who has been influential in your business?
A: Tim and Karen Shea of TCS Foods provided a facility for us to produce Pucker Pickle Juice and were extremely helpful in showing us how to get the right permits.
And Mitch Varnes invited us to offer our product to the runners of the Florida Marathon, which resulted in lots of positive feedback and justified our pickle juice venture. It was at one of these events we met patent attorney G. Phillip Zies, who trademarked the name Pucker Pickle Juice for us. I would like to thank them and to let them know Pucker Pickle Juice would not be where it is today if not for their helpfulness and guidance. We also would like to thank Obi Juan and Chuck Goss for their help at our events.
Email toastofthecoast floridatoday@gmail.com.
Pucker Pickle Juice
Where: Available at Petty’s Meat Market on Babcock Street and the Foo Bar in downtown Melbourne, or online
How much: $3 for a 16-ounce plastic bottle or 14 ounce glass bottle
Online:puckerpicklejuice.com and on Facebook
Info: 321-458-1094