Many of us enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with cooking methods and ingredients, but few of us turn these experiments into a business. This is what Bulldog Brinery founder Matt Gillespie did after years of cooking at home for his parents, which kickstarted a career as a chef at several different restaurants, where he focused primarily on Asian fusion flavors. He was inspired to start this new venture, exploring opportunities outside of the restaurant environment. Bulldog Brinery has now launched three products: Pickled Pineapple, Spicy Miso Kimchi, and Red Cabbage Sauerkraut.
In Matt’s words, “Bulldog Brinery is about bold flavors…a unique and exciting way to add these flavors to your meals.” Bulldog Brinery’s pickled and fermented products serve as a way to add powerful flavor to your meals without excessive calories, fats, or sugars. On top of that, the ingredients are all-natural. Fermenting and pickling both produce a unique flavor, but pickling involves using an acid to achieve this, while fermenting uses a chemical reaction. Fermenting makes it possible for probiotics to flourish, which greatly benefits the digestive system.
The pickled pineapple is a perfect balance of sweet, heat, and acid with no added sugar. It is a perfect addition to your favorite taco recipe. You can also add it to dishes with chicken, pork, or fish. Matt noted, “If you are feeling especially creative, you can even throw it on top of pizza.” The miso kimchi is bright, tangy, and spicy, made with Matt’s homemade gochugaru paste. It pairs well with rice, noodles, and stir fry dishes. You can also use the kimchi for braising to help cut the fat in fattier cuts of meat. Since it has not been heat-processed, it still contains all of its healthy probiotics, benefitting gut health. The red cabbage sauerkraut is crisp and crunchy, made with fresh ginger and garlic, and full of probiotics. Add it to avocado toast, scrambles, soups, salads, or anything that you think could use a nice crunch.
Matt has learned so much throughout the Accelerator program. He admits that developing and launching a product can take much more time than you would initially think. There can be obstacles along the way, but these help further develop your product. He is very appreciative of the feedback he received, so he would advise anyone else looking to launch a consumer packaged good (CPG) product to seek out feedback. Lastly, he learned to always double-check everything that you work on. You want to be aware of any potential mistakes and to correct these as soon as you are able. The result will be well worth it, and he has found success in launching his product using these principles.
You can find Bulldog Brinery in Union Kitchen stores today! Pick up whichever option you feel best suits your dinner plans. Always be open to experimenting, as Matt was when he developed Bulldog Brinery. You can feel confident that the product you end up choosing is natural, flavorful, and contains the health benefits that you can appreciate.