A Boston-based pickle company is suing a rival in New Jersey, claiming it stole a 100-year-old recipe to make products sold at Whole Foods.
“Patriot Pickle is trying to profit off of Grillo’s 100-year-old family recipe and our trade secrets,” company President Adam Kaufman“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.
“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.