Meet Paula: The Heart Behind In A Pickle Preserves

If you've ever opened a jar from In A Pickle Preserves, chances are you've tasted one of Paula Geddes' recipes.

What many people don't know is that Paula never planned on becoming a preserve maker.

In fact, growing up, cooking wasn't something she particularly enjoyed.

Raised on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Paula grew up in a family where the kitchen was always busy. Her mother regularly preserved fruit and made homemade strawberry jam, and the family often gathered together to prepare traditional Polish meals, a reflection of their heritage.

As a young girl, Paula spent plenty of time helping in the kitchen, but she never imagined it would one day become her career.

If someone had told her back then that she'd spend her life making jams, pickles and relishes for people all across Australia, she probably would have laughed.

Before In A Pickle Preserves ever existed, Paula worked night shift for 18 years at the Wrigley's chewing gum factory. It was steady work, but life was about to take a very different direction.

Looking for a quieter lifestyle and a fresh start, Paula made the move from the Central Coast to country New South Wales.

It was a decision that would change everything.

Living in the country introduced her to something she hadn't experienced before, an incredible abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Where others simply saw another good harvest, Paula saw an opportunity.

She began preserving fruit and vegetables for family and friends, not because she wanted to start a business, but simply because she loved sharing homemade food with the people she cared about.

Like many home cooks, Paula never relied heavily on recipes.

She'd happily admit that she still cooks by instinct.

A little bit of this.

A little bit of that.

Taste.

Adjust.

Taste again.

It's a style of cooking that's been shaped by years of experience rather than measuring spoons.

Before long, family and friends began asking for more jars.

One became two.

Two became ten.

Soon there was always someone asking,

"Have you got another jar?"

That simple question would eventually become the beginning of In A Pickle Preserves.

Although the business has grown enormously since those early days, Paula's approach hasn't changed.

She still believes that quality comes before quantity.

Recipes should never be rushed.

Good ingredients matter.

And if something isn't good enough for her own family, it isn't good enough to put on the shelf.

One of the things Paula enjoys most isn't making the products themselves, it's seeing the reaction when someone tastes them.

Whether it's someone discovering Apple Pie Jam for the first time, returning every year for their favourite relish, or telling her a recipe has become a family tradition, those moments are what continue to inspire her.

"Seeing people's faces light up when they taste something they love never gets old."

After all these years, Paula still has her own favourites.

If you asked her what she'd take home from the pantry, her basket would probably include:

• Favourite Jam: Boysenberry Jam

• Favourite Pickle: Bread & Butter Cucumbers

• Favourite Relish: Roasted Garlic & Tomato Relish

• Favourite BBQ Rub: Pittmasters Rub

• Favourite Dip: Spinach Dip

Each one reflects the flavours she enjoys most and the recipes she's proud to share.

Ask Paula about her favourite market memory and she'll smile before mentioning Millthorpe Markets.

On that particular weekend, the family packed two cars and a trailer, convinced they'd taken far too much stock.

Instead, they sold out.

Completely.

It was one of those moments every small business dreams about.

But for Paula, the markets have never just been about sales.

They're about the people.

Over the years she's met customers who return season after season, many of whom make a special trip simply to stock up on their favourite jams and pickles.

Some stop by to tell her how they used a relish at a family barbecue.

Others share recipes that have become traditions in their own homes.

Those conversations are among the most rewarding parts of the job.

Looking back over the journey, Paula considers one of her greatest achievements to be seeing businesses from all around Australia contact In A Pickle Preserves wanting to stock the products.

Winning awards for the range has also been incredibly special, not because of the trophies themselves, but because they're recognition of the care, time and passion poured into every batch.

Today, Paula still approaches every recipe with the same philosophy she had when she first started preserving for family and friends.

Keep it simple.

Use quality ingredients.

Make it properly.

Never compromise.

It's a philosophy that's been passed from one generation to the next, from her mother's kitchen, where homemade strawberry jam and traditional Polish cooking filled the family table, to her own kitchen, where every jar continues that tradition of sharing good food with others.

Paula never set out to build a business.

She simply wanted to make something people would enjoy.

The fact that those homemade jars have found their way into pantries and homes across Australia is something she'll never take for granted.

And if you ever meet Paula at a market, don't be surprised if she asks how you enjoyed your last jar.

Because after all these years, she still cares about every single one.

Today, after all these years, what motivates Paula most isn't simply making jams and pickles, it's the people.

Seeing customers return year after year, hearing stories about our jams becoming part of family breakfasts, or learning that one of our relishes has earned a place on the Christmas table, is a reminder of why this journey began in the first place.

There's something incredibly rewarding about knowing that something we've made by hand has become part of someone else's family traditions. Those moments mean more to us than we can ever put into words.

We're also inspired by the excitement of creating new flavours while staying true to the recipes that built our business. Every market we attend, every new wholesale customer, and every online order is another opportunity to share what we love with families across Australia.

Most of all, we're proud that after all these years, we're still making our products with the same care, passion and attention to detail as we did from the very beginning. The recipes remain the same. The batches are still made by hand. And our commitment to quality has never changed.

It's the continued support of our wonderful customers that inspires us to keep doing what we love every single day.

Because at the end of it all, In A Pickle Preserves has never just been about making jams and pickles.

It's about creating food that brings people together, sparks memories, starts conversations around the table and, hopefully, becomes a small part of your family's story too.