Pickles have always been a huge presence and big dream in Eva Thorne’s life. But it wasn’t always her sole focus. Sheyna Zaid Lam chats to Eva about her long journey from a flourishing career in Political Science and International Development, to producing pickles that can now be found on the shelves of Selfridges and Whole Foods Market UK.

Pickling and preserving was a prominent part of Eva Thorne’s family life as she grew up in New York City - she learnt by watching her mum do it, while her dad, who was an artist and teacher, contributed by making beautiful labels for the jars. But long before the idea of making pickles her livelihood came to her (like a jolt of lightning in the parking lot of a Pan-Asian supermarket, she tells me), Eva did a PhD in Political Sciences, researching indigenous rights, and international development policy, as well as community social movements in Latin America. Post-doctorate, she realised that academia was not for her - she wanted a more applied, hands-on approach to these issues, she realised - so she went on to work with private companies as an advisor on how to address political, social, and environmental issues in their businesses. Following that, she worked as an advisor with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) for nine years, supporting heads of government and senior ministers to help them deliver positive change.

But throughout her working life, pickling was always there. When Eva left academia in 2012, she approached Whole Foods Market in Jamaica Plain, Boston, who told her that if she could get a commercial kitchen to produce her pickles, they would give her space on their shelves. But as she was doing her research on how to do that, Eva got an offer from the TBI. Realising that a stable income was the priority at that point in her life, Eva shelved the pickling dream and moved to Liberia for two years with her young son.

When the Ebola epidemic hit Liberia and shut everything down, including her son’s school, Eva took a TBI position based in London. The idea of a pickle business re-emerged at this stage, but she found out that she could not, as a foreigner, open a business in the UK without Permanent Residence. But that didn’t mean that Eva wasn’t actively pursuing her dream to pickle full-time. Since 2014, Eva has continuously made small moves that she thought would help move her in the direction of opening The Garden of Eva – “I knew it would be some time before I could get to the stage of launching, but I refused to give up on the dream!”

Finally, in late summer of 2020, Eva received her Permanent Residence…. But London was now in lockdown. Nonetheless, she persevered and was eventually accepted onto a Mission Kitchen training programme, called ‘Launch Your Side Hustle’ which Eva states, taught her so many practical skills about running a food business, which she loved!

By May 2021, The Garden of Eva was finally incorporated and registered, and a little later that year, Eva met a tall man at a Mission Kitchen event, who after tasting her showcase dish for the evening, announced that he was in fact Tom Barton, co-founder of Honest Burgers. More excitingly, he wanted to feature her chow-chow relish on an upcoming burger-of-the-month at the restaurant chain. Bear in mind that Eva was still working a full-time job, and spending between 2-4 evenings a week after, pickling everything herself. She was exhausted! So, when Barton stated that he would need 1.3 tonnes of the chow-chow to satisfy Honest Burger’s needs, Eva was taken aback and totally unsure as to how she would be able to pull it off. Barton became her mentor and Eva spent months researching options to scale the recipe, eventually finding a manufacturer who was able to meet all her requirements. She recalls the thrill she felt running up her spine when she saw her product, sitting neatly in cardboard boxes with her logo on it. More impressively, the burger that Eva’s pickle featured in, a New Orleans fried chicken sandwich, went on to outperform previous Honest Burger specials by almost 2%.

Eva eventually reduced her hours at her management consultancy job in, and then and finally left in December 2023 to concentrate on The Garden of Eva when a good friend generously offered to pay her a salary in exchange for equity in the company.

In January 2023, Eva won the opportunity, via Bread & Jam, to pitch to Whole Foods Market UK, who then agreed to stock her products on their shelves, meaning that Eva had to upscale her operations once more. Today, The Garden of Eva proudly works with a women-owned manufacturer who helps her produce her chow-chow, watermelon rind pickle and using the by-product of the latter, a chilli-watermelon jam. These are all currently available at Whole Foods Market UK, and (as of two weeks ago!), Selfridges, as well as numerous independent stores.

But this doesn’t mean that Eva considers her work done. Far from it. She has ambitious plans ahead, that include expanding her line of Southern-style pickles with another product, as well as a Southern condiment. Even bigger than that, Eva has her eyes on one day, bringing her International Development experience and pickling experience together, and hiring and centring women in Global Southern countries to produce a range of pickles and relishes from their cultures.

This is a woman who is very clearly passionate about her product. When I asked Eva why she decided to move to pickles despite already having a challenging and distinguished career in International Development, she says, “Food is love! And there is something deeply human and deeply satisfying to see someone eat your food, and smile.” And with this, I cannot argue with.

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Sheyna Zaid Lam is a researcher-writer based in London with experience in the academic and commercial sectors, most recently, the film industry. People fascinate her. Their thoughts, motivations, behaviours, and feelings intrigue her, and any opportunity that will allow her to study and ruminate on her fellow human beings gives her much pleasure and satisfaction. Her favourite pastimes are reading, dancing salsa and overthinking.

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