Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Bush.
Hi Travis, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Shortly before getting married in 2014, I worked at a brewery and I started playing around with the craft beers which I had access to. Mostly basic cooking stuff like sauces and meat brines, and then I read an article about a brewpub in Boston that was making pickles with their beer. Intrigued, I began to make pickles and other pickled vegetables for my co-workers. The moment came when my friends and co-workers liked my early products enough to suggest they would buy such a thing. This set me off with a new hobby and eventually, I started making enough to do small popup markets on the side. Along come the marriage and honeymoon in beautiful Hawaii, where my kneecap broke. I was out of work for two months and when I returned to the brewery to resume working, they no longer had a job for me. After fighting for my unemployment and winning, I decided it was time for me to do something else. That something else was staring me right in the face. So, with a lot of support from my wife and my unemployment money I started my business, T-Rex Pickles. I also spent some time going to several local breweries and explained what it was I did and what I needed. Currently, I have wonderful partnerships with Four Corners Brewery and Lakewood Brewing Company, where they give me beer which is usually out-of-date beer, dented cans, or short-fill cans. In return for the beer to make my pickles with, I give them pickles upon each visit and sometimes make special products for their bar and kitchens.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Fortunately for us, there are an untold number of pickle lovers out there that will gladly try new things and experience products far superior to what can be found in the grocery store. Having said that, the retail packaged food business is fraught with challenges that we have dealt with since our inception. I’ll just speak to them categorically.
Produce. This may be one of the biggest challenges any retail food manufacturer faces. We try to buy locally when produce such as cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash, okra, and other veggies are in peak season. Here in North Texas, this can be problematic due to weather and a short growing season. Too little rain and crops wither on the vine and too much rain makes it hard to harvest. When we can’t get veggies locally, we often suffer from national supply chain issues, weather-related disasters (hurricanes are the worst), and fluctuating commodity prices,
Packaging. We started off buying our jars from every store in DFW that sold canning jars. Sometimes visiting four to five stores a week just to get the jars we needed to maintain production. Again, the dreaded supply chain hiccups have caused us to go further away from home base looking for glass. Eventually, we started buying jars and lids by the pallet, but this has not always been seamless or without problems. This was most notable with the onset of COVID. Our glass supplier dropped our first big order for 2020, which led us to once again hunt for jars at every Walmart, Winco, hardware store, and anywhere jars could be found. This problem was compounded by everyone and their pet goldfish wanting to can and preserve food since they were stuck at home.
Markets. Selling at farmers’ markets can always be a gamble here in North Texas. The weather can be unpredictable enough to keep customers away and even sometimes destroy your booth with violent winds and sudden rain storms. Also, we always have some special event going on in the DFW area and this siphens away customers from markets, where they might be your regular return customers. Lastly, we get back to the short growing season we have here in North Texas. Customers come to most farmers’ markets for the local produce, and if the farmers are not there, then it often means the customers won’t be there either. This is particularly true when one sells at markets that do not allow resellers.
Help! When I finally couldn’t produce more than one person could physically do, I needed help. My wife made the decision to quit her job as a retail manager and join me as Co-Owner of our business. I couldn’t do any of this without her.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve worn many hats in my life and one thing I have always tried to do is think of ways to be a creative person. Whether it be during my tenure as a Professor at El Centro College, my time making and selling art using found objects, or my current business making pickles, being creative has always kept me interested in what I’m doing and ensures I am selling products that are not the norm.
I would have to say that not being afraid to deviate from the norm give me the opportunity to being new items to market, which inevitably broadens the culinary experiences of our customers.
Any big plans?
We are always looking for new stores to sell our current products in and are currently delving into the world of dehydrated veggies, which is a niche market that is not currently being served in the Dallas area. We will be rolling out with dehydrated veggie snacks this year at both the Dallas Farmers Market and Coppell Farmers Market.
Pricing:
- Pints $8
- Quarts $14
- Half Gallons $25
- Delivery $10 with a 4 jar minimum purchase.
- We ship all over the Continental US
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/TRexPickles
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trexpickles/
