McClure's handmade pickles win over Kiwi foodies

A Detroit-based pickling company is turning craft pickles into the new must-have ingredient in burger bars and restaurants across New Zealand.

Founded by brothers Joe and Bob McClure in 2006 using a recipe passed down by their great-grandmother, McClure's Pickles products are now available in over 4000 retailers across America, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

The pickles have attracted a cult-like following amongst fans of hand-crafted foods and are now on the menu in Kiwi eateries such as Burger Burger, Miss Moonshines, Ugly Bagel and The Federal Deli.

"We started out hustling the streets, going door to door saying, 'Hey, you guys want to try these pickles?'" says Joe McClure. "Jar by jar, case by case, we grew the company."

The company, which started in the brothers' family kitchen, now employs 32 people and recently moving into a new production facility in a former car factory in Detroit.

"We started making about 60 to 100 jars a day - we're now making 7,000 jars per day," says McClure.

The company has attracted praise from Time Magazine for helping revitalise recession-hit Detroit and was championed by Martha Stewart who said the brothers are global leaders in their field.