- Alice native turns pickle hobby into a career.
- Makes 500 jars of pickles every two days out of his home.
- Sells jars of pickles to several stores around Coastal Bend.
Shopping local has a special meaning for an Alice father. Through a dare from his kids who enjoy a South Texas food favorite, the father’s ‘side hustle’ turned into an overnight success - one jar at a time.
It started off as a simple joke at the grocery store – Larry Garcia mentioned that he could make a better pickle than those on the shelf. His two sons and girlfriend began to joke about the idea.
With a passion for cooking – using his own version of his grandmother’s wild pickle recipe - Larry Garcia took on the challenge until he came out with the perfect pickle.
He gave out pickles and eventually sold a jar at a mechanic shop he had been working at. That’s when the father of two hit a speed bump and lost his job for selling a jar of pickles to a customer while on the job.
He found himself without an income – but he didn’t dwell on it.
“It was all just so sudden. I started out there behind Ashley Furniture with a canopy and people were stopping. I was selling a hundred jars a day - in a couple of hours,” Garcia said.
Garcia said if one jar was going to close one chapter, then he better sell a million jars in the next.
Since his unemployment, Garcia said he travels to local grocery stores for local and organic products, gathers his family in the kitchen, and they get to work.
“I had to do something. So, the next thing was getting them into stores,” he said.
Garcia said he didn’t have a strategy. He approached several stores who gave him the opportunity to sell his product. Now, he can’t keep up with demand. The family makes approximately 500 jars of pickles every two days.
The family didn’t realize the success, especially in the Alice neighborhoods where everyone is talking about Larry Garcia’s product.
A few jars of his pickles have made it into a mom-and-pop restaurant - The District Pub and Grill.
“I’m always trying something new – snack wise. But these are real clean. They taste natural – I like things like that. Something clean and crisp. Something brand new. Here we’re known for the salad bar and stuff. The pickles are a big advantage,” Roy Camarillo, the manager of The District Pub and Grill said.
Camarillo said the business likes to promote local and is happy to do so for Scary Larry Pickles with the customers and on social media.
Garcia said he is thankful for his supporters in several coastal bend neighborhoods.
He’s planning to expand Scary Larry Pickles’ outside of his home in the future.
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