Photo: Getty Images
WESTWOOD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Two Massachusetts companies have found themselves in a bit of a pickle over their garlicky sours. Grillo's Pickles of Westwood is suing the Wahlberg family's burger chain, Wahlburgers, over its pickle recipe and packaging.
The pickle maker says a New Jersey-based manufacturer for Wahlburgers is using its recipes to make a nearly-identical product. Grillo's said it contracted with Patriot Pickle for seven years starting in 2014, and handed over its secret recipes. The company broke off the relationship in 2021, and the suit claims Wahlburgers started using them to manufacture almost identical pickles, down to the same packaging.
The company says it's been harmed by "diverted sales, lost shelf space, and lost market share that, but for Defendants’ false and misleading statements, Grillo’s would have retained and/or earned," according to the suit.
Lawyers for Grillo's point out one caveat: Grillo's Pickles don't have any preservatives, but Grillo's shelled out for lab testing of the Wahlburgers pickles and it says those ones do. It says the preservatives give Wahlburgers an advantage, as they last longer on store shelves.
The suit is asking for a jury trial and damages to be determined in court.
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out to Wahlburgers for comment.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App