Flamm Pickles

Flamm Pickle and Packing Co. near Eau Claire in Southwest Michigan traces its origins to 1917, when Joseph Flamm began making pickles for his family and friends on the farm he bought that year.

Originally Joseph Flamenbaum, he emigrated from Poland to Russia to Canada to Chicago and then to the Eau Claire area farm. In 1920 he married Anna Sax, who was born in Benton Harbor.

Joseph Flamm started making pickles on his Eau Claire area farm in 1917, when he was in his early 20s. 101 years later, Flamm Pickle and Packing Co. makes pickle relish used by food product manufacturers. (Photo from company website)

Demand for his pickles blossomed and the company was created.

In 1962, Joseph’s son and daughter, Seymour and Harriett, built a new production facility, still in use, on the original family farm along Hipps Hollow Road.

Seymour died in 1991 and his daughter, Gina Flamm, has been president of the company since then.

Flamm Pickle and Packing produces pickle relish for many of the leading food products manufacturers in the United States. “If you have ever had a salad with Thousand Island dressing or tartar sauce with your favorite fish, odds are you have had Flamm’s relish,” it says on the company website.

The company produces millions of pounds of relish each year, which flavors its customers’ dressings and sauces. It offer more than 40 varieties, including dill, sweet, sour and pickle brine.

– By Michael Eliasohn. Information from Flamm Pickle website, Gina Flamm and article she wrote for Temple B’nai Shalom centennial book in 1995.