He then launched Pickle Project in 2024, a business aimed at changing the game in the UK pickle scene. Inspired by the lacklustre offerings available in retail and hospitality, Matt drilled into the science of flavour extraction, with the aim of making the best pickles possible, ultimately settling on using ultrasound to produce the brine. What began as an experiment has grown into a thriving production operation. Within the first 12 months, Pickle Project has grown rapidly, winning awards, supplying national restaurant partners, independent delis, and winning a retail listing with Ocado.
Prior to Matt's entrepreneurial journey, he was awarded a scholarship to race NASCAR in the US, after a successful racing career in the UK and Europe.
Highlights
What I actually really wanted to create was a business that was loved by the people who work for it and the people who shopped from it. If you have done that, it's something really great to achieve.
I started cooking in the background and then I very quickly went off into the deep end of food science, using the engineering mindset I had from racing to look holistically.
Before you knew it there were flame throwers and liquid nitrogen and all kinds of stuff in the kitchen.