NEWS

The Palm Beach Pickle Company Makes Green Pickles Truly ‘Green’ with Smartflower

Feb 03, 2020

Picture this: It’s 2017. Bobby Weir from the Grateful Dead is auctioning his autographed Tesla Model S at the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala Auction. You really like the Grateful Dead. So, you go to the gala because you really want to see Bobby’s Tesla, and you see this beautiful solar flower on display that you swear you’ve seen before on TV. Wow, that’s cool, you think. Then you put in your bid for the auction, and next thing you know, you find yourself the proud owner of a new Smartflower system. Now here’s the big question: What are you going to do with it?

The answer? Make green pickles.

Jon Drettmann’s life changed three years ago when a Smartflower fell into his lap. Today, he’s using his Smartflower to power his company in Florida, the Palm Beach Pickle Company, and make green pickles that are truly ‘green’.

“In this day and age, it’d be almost silly not to go solar,” said Jon, when asked about his decision to integrate the Smartflower into his sustainability initiatives. The Palm Beach Pickle Company was created with the goal of making the best pickles in the world and being environmentally conscious. The factory that Jon owns has LED lights, uses recycled materials where possible, and a Smartflower that helps power operations while producing significant cost savings. “The Smartflower is located on a second floor flat roof and is the flagship of the whole factory… the stars aligned for me [at the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Gala Auction] and it fit nicely into the puzzle, like everything else in this project,” said Jon.

Clean solar energy isn’t the only thing Jon gets from his Smartflower, though. The Palm Beach Pickle Company resides in an artisanal industrial zone, near glass art factories and schools. Many of the people who pass by end up asking about the Smartflower, and Jon is happy to engage them in conversation. “The beauty is that we’re in a small town in Florida… word gets around. It gives me more to talk about than just pickles,” said Jon.

“Everything here is grown locally,” said Jon, “We’re fortunate to be able to put our own food on our tables.” Green pickles both grown under the Florida sun and powered by solar energy truly puts a new meaning to the words ‘locally grown’. It’s great to see a small local business such as the Palm Beach Pickle Company thrive, especially after such a fateful encounter with the Smartflower. Here’s hoping that the stars keep aligning for Jon Drettmann and the Palm Beach Pickle Company!

 

Jon Drettmann and his Smartflower at the Palm Beach Pickle Factory

 

Learn more about the Palm Beach Pickle Company at https://www.palmbeachpickle.com/

Interested in learning more about other Smartflower installations? Click here.

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