Pickle Project, the start-up pioneering the UK’s first ultrasonic pickles is increasing production to meet a growing UK demand for pickles and ferments. Now producing one tonne of pickles per week from its North London kitchen, the brand is set to launch in Ocado pre-Christmas as the retailer reports a remarkable 16 per cent increase in sales of pickles over the past year.A founder driven by flavour (and necessity)
The business was founded by restaurateur Matt Harris, who launched Pickle Project after years of struggling to find a pickle “good enough” to sit alongside the fried chicken served in his restaurant chain, Thunderbird. He set out to create a pickle with maximum flavour, clarity and crunch, ultimately reinventing the process itself.
How ultrasound creates a superior pickle
Harris’s breakthrough came from an unlikely source: cocktail bars. Inspired by bartenders using ultrasound to rapidly infuse spirits, he bought an ultrasound generator online and began experimenting in his kitchen. Ultrasound waves create microscopic bubbles in liquid, a process called cavitation. When these bubbles collapse, they release high-energy microbursts that break down cell walls of herbs and spices, accelerate the release of aromatic compounds, and drive those flavours deeper into the vegetable being pickled. In this case, cucumber.
This approach allowed Harris to extract complex layers of flavour from ingredients like dill, cardamom and liquorice root. Early trials even saw him filtering the infused brine through coffee filters as he taught himself how to refine the technique.
“Once I understood how cavitation could pull out flavours you don’t normally access, I realised we could make pickles that tasted more pickly than anything on the market,” Harris says. “It’s a hugely complicated process, but that’s me! I’m constantly experimenting with ingredients and flavours to make the best product possible and coming up with new flavour variants.”
Small batches, big ambition
What began as an experiment has grown into a thriving production operation. Alongside its restaurant partners and independent delis, the company has now secured a retail listing with Ocado, its first major entry into mainstream grocery.
Harris continued: “The current consumer appetite for pickles and ferments is huge. It’s the right time to take our pickles to the mainstream and offer a genuine alternative to what’s out there.”
Pickle Project’s Sweet Dill Pickle Chips are now retailing at £6.99 in Ocado and have already been awarded two stars in the Great Taste Awards 2025.
