Bick's

Bick's is a Canadian brand best known for pickles and other preserved vegetables. Its origins date to 1951, when George and Lena Bick and their sons Walter and Thomas began processing cucumbers grown on the family's Knollview farm in the Toronto area. The business started as a small agricultural processing operation, producing approximately 60,000 jars in its first period of activity. Demand expanded rapidly, and annual output reached about 12 million jars by 1960, establishing Bick's as a significant commercial pickle producer. The company operated for roughly five decades from a major facility in Scarborough, Ontario. Its growth reflected the development of branded packaged foods in postwar Canada, particularly shelf-stable vegetables and refrigerated or brined products sold through mainstream grocery channels. In 1966, the Bick family sold the business to Kraft Foods Canada. Bick's later became part of International Multifoods as ownership of the food business changed. Manufacturing geography changed in the late twentieth century. Pickling and brining operations moved from Scarborough to Delhi, Ontario, in 1998, while remaining production was transferred to Dunnville, Ontario, in 2001. The J.M. Smucker Company acquired Bick's in 2004 through its combination with International Multifoods. Smucker subsequently announced in 2010 that both Ontario facilities would close. The closures ended domestic Bick's production in Canada, and from 2011 onward the products were imported from the United States and marketed through the brand's Markham, Ontario-based organization. In 2024, TreeHouse Foods acquired Bick's from The J.M. Smucker Company. The brand therefore continues to have Canadian heritage and market presence while its products are imported and sold in Canada under the ownership of a U.S.-based packaged-food company. Bick's positioning is rooted in familiarity, everyday grocery availability, and traditional pickled-food consumption rather than premium culinary specialization. Its historical identity remains closely associated with Canadian food manufacturing, even though production is no longer located in Canada.

Bick's began in 1951 on the Knollview farm in the Toronto area. George and Lena Bick, together with their sons Walter and Thomas, started preserving cucumbers grown on the farm and selling them in jars. The operation was initially modest, producing about 60,000 jars, but it expanded quickly as demand for commercially packaged pickles grew. By 1960, the business was producing approximately 12 million jars annually. For about fifty years, Bick's maintained a large commercial plant in the Scarborough City Centre area. The facility became the principal physical expression of the brand's Canadian manufacturing identity. In 1966, the Bick family sold the company to Kraft Foods Canada. Bick's subsequently became associated with International Multifoods as the brand moved through successive packaged-food ownership structures. The company reorganized its production footprint near the end of the twentieth century. Pickling and brining operations were moved to Delhi, Ontario, in 1998. In 2001, remaining production was moved to Dunnville, Ontario. These relocations reduced the brand's dependence on its original Scarborough site while keeping manufacturing within Ontario for a period. The J.M. Smucker Company acquired Bick's in 2004 as part of its merger with International Multifoods. Smucker later announced the closure of both Ontario facilities in 2010. The closures brought an end to Bick's domestic production in Canada. Beginning in 2011, Bick's products sold in Canada were imported from the United States and marketed through the company's Markham, Ontario-based head office. The former Scarborough plant at 333 Progress Avenue was later used by Atlantic Packaging, a paperboard and recycling company. In 2024, TreeHouse Foods acquired Bick's from Smucker. The transaction changed the brand's corporate owner but did not alter its basic market identity as a Canadian pickle brand. Bick's remains associated with traditional pickled cucumbers and preserved vegetables, while its current supply chain and ownership reflect the cross-border structure of contemporary packaged-food businesses.

• 2024

  TreeHouse Foods becomes owner

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  TreeHouse Foods acquires Bick's from The J.M. Smucker Company.

• 2010

  Ontario facilities close

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  Smucker announces the closure of both Ontario facilities, ending Canadian production.

• 2004

  Smucker acquires the brand

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  Bick's becomes part of The J.M. Smucker Company following Smucker's combination with International Multifoods.

• 2001

  Remaining production moves to Dunnville

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining Ontario production footprint is transferred to Dunnville.

• 1998

  Pickling and brining operations move to Delhi

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  Core processing operations relocate from Scarborough to Delhi, Ontario.

• 1966

  Bick family sells the business to Kraft Foods Canada

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  Ownership passes from the founding family to Kraft Foods Canada.

• 1960

  Annual output reaches approximately 12 million jars

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  The business grows from a small farm-based operation into a substantial commercial producer.

• 1951

  Bick family begins commercial pickle production

  [1]Bick'sen.wikipedia.org

  George, Lena, Walter, and Thomas Bick begin producing pickles from cucumbers grown on the family's Knollview farm in the Toronto area.

A heritage Canadian grocery brand focused on familiar, mainstream pickles and preserved vegetables, with Canadian marketing and distribution but imported production following the closure of its Ontario facilities.

• Pickles and preserved vegetables · 1951

  Bick's pickles

  Bick's core offering consists of commercially packaged pickles made through brining and preservation. The product line is the central expression of the brand's heritage, linking its current grocery presence with the Bick family's original farm-based cucumber-processing business. Products sold in Canada are imported rather than manufactured at the former Ontario facilities.

• 2024

  Sale of Bick's to TreeHouse FoodsM&A

  Background

  Bick's was part of The J.M. Smucker Company's branded-food portfolio.

  Action taken

  TreeHouse Foods acquired the brand from Smucker.

  Aftermath

  TreeHouse Foods became the brand's owner and its products continued to be imported and marketed in Canada.

  Source

• 2010

  Closure of both Ontario facilitiesStrategy

  Background

  The J.M. Smucker Company reviewed the brand's manufacturing arrangements after acquiring Bick's through International Multifoods.

  Action taken

  Smucker announced that both Ontario facilities would close.

  Aftermath

  Canadian Bick's production ended, and products marketed in Canada were subsequently imported from the United States.

  Source

• 2001

  Transfer of remaining Ontario production to DunnvilleStrategy

  Background

  Following the earlier move of pickling and brining operations, Bick's continued consolidating its manufacturing network.

  Action taken

  Remaining production was moved to Dunnville, Ontario.

  Aftermath

  Dunnville became part of the brand's shortened Ontario production footprint until the facilities were closed after Smucker's 2010 announcement.

  Source

• 1998

  Relocation of pickling and brining operationsStrategy

  Background

  Bick's reorganized its Ontario manufacturing footprint after decades of production in Scarborough.

  Action taken

  The company moved pickling and brining operations to Delhi, Ontario.

  Aftermath

  The relocation was followed by a further transfer of remaining production to Dunnville in 2001.

  Source

1. 1Bick'sen.wikipedia.org