JARRING SITUATION: Pickle company sues rival over recipe-stealing allegations

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A pickle company has found itself in a bit of a, well, pickle upon being sued by a rival company claiming it stole a 100-year-old recipe to make products sold at Whole Foods.

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Boston-based Grillo’s Pickles has filed its second lawsuit against New Jersey’s Patriot Pickle products sold under the Whole Foods 365 label, according to the New York Post.

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The company accused Patriot Pickle of using its proprietary recipe in products sold across the U.S. at the popular supermarket chain.

“Patriot Pickle is trying to profit off of Grillo’s 100-year-old family recipe and our trade secrets,” company president Adam Kaufman said in a statement, according to the Post.

“It’s a massive violation of trust and a disappointment that after nearly a decade of partnership, our former co-packer, Patriot Pickle, has violated our agreements and is producing a nearly identical line of pickles for one of our biggest retailers, threatening to permanently damage our business.”

Patriot Pickle reportedly introduced its 365 product at a lower price at Whole Foods — where Grillo’s Pickles are also sold — during the highest grossing time of year for pickle sales.

“The filing points to Patriot Pickle’s access to Grillo’s proprietary recipes and equipment, use of identical ingredients, and organic acid profile tests as proof of Patriot’s use and disclosure of Grillo’s trade secrets, in violation of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, the Florida Uniform Trade Secrets Act, and contracts between Grillo’s and Patriot,” the company said.

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