Lakeside Packing Company

Lakeside Pickling Co.

🚀 A family's commitment to honouring Old World taste and handcrafted quality, born from one farmer's desire to never let a good cucumber go to waste.

Crafter's Journey: 🟠 Legacy Craft (10+ years)

Made with love in: Leamington, Ontario, Canada (South shore of Lake Erie)

Website Link: https://www.lakesidepacking.com/

Main Handcrafted Product: Hand-packed, traditional pickles and preserved vegetables

Main Social Handle: None listed

🎯 Dream Goal: To have their legacy pickles, made with the same hand-picked care as in 1942, stocked in every major Canadian grocer's "local favourites" section.

It all started with a surplus and a principle. In 1942, farmer Charles Woodbridge looked at his abundance of cucumbers and peppers and saw more than a seasonal bounty; he saw a year-round opportunity to bring the robust, Old World flavours he loved to a new Canadian home. Refusing to sacrifice quality for scale, he borrowed family recipes, experimented in his kitchen, and laid down a tenet that would guide three generations: to provide pickle lovers with the best darn pickles anywhere.

Today, the Woodbridge family still runs their packing house on the sunny shores of Lake Erie, and they still treat every jar with the hands-on care Charles insisted upon. Cucumbers are often hand-picked, each jar is hand-packed, and spices are chosen with a meticulous eye for tradition and taste. While they’ve grown from a local secret to an international exporter, they proudly let the "big guys" focus on quantity. Lakeside's heart remains in the craft—in the crisp snap of a perfectly brined gherkin and the tangy satisfaction of a recipe that hasn't been rushed.

From Charles, to his son Donald, to grandson Alan and now to a fourth generation learning the ropes (and doing plenty of "quality control" sampling), the mission is unchanged. They are stewards of a flavourful legacy, proving that the most enduring ingredient in any recipe isn't found in a garden, but woven into the fabric of a family dedicated to its craft. When you open a jar of Lakeside, you're tasting eighty years of Ontario pride, packed by hand, and sealed with a story.

Website Link: https://www.lakesidepacking.com/