Trestlewood has had a "Picklewood" product line since early 1998, when it purchased wood from pickle vats salvaged from a Heinz Pickle Works plant in Isleton, California (on the Sacramento River between Sacramento and San Francisco.) |
The Isleton plant was built in the 1916-1920 time frame by Heinz. Heinz abandoned the plant in the early 1970s. The plant was later sold to an olive processor who used it for a short time (this company did not use the pickle vats which remained on the property.) |
By the early 1980s, the plant was scheduled for demolition. Duncan McCormack happened upon the project and worked out an arrangement with the demolition contractor which allowed him to salvage the approximately 60 pickle vats which remained (up to 10 vats had already been destroyed.) |
Trestlewood later purchased over 100,000 board feet of wood salvaged from the vats (6x8, 4x4 and 2x12 Redwood and 3x9 to 3x12 and 2x6 Douglas Fir) from Mr. McCormack. Not surprisingly, the bulk of the pickle vat Redwood sold quickly. The Douglas Fir has also proven popular--this material produces a dark, distressed flooring product which has been especially well-received. |
Trestlewood's original batch of Picklewood is now essentially gone, but Trestlewood has been able to replace the Heinz pickle vat stock with similar stock salvaged from pickle vats at other locations. |
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Information source (Heinz pickle vats): Duncan McCormack |
