Anyone who has spent any amount of time with Trim Hunger founder Josif Wittnik, knows his love for pickles. Crunchy. Dilly. Spicy. Homemade. Store bought. It doesn’t matter. In fact, in between cuts and colors at his salon, you may even catch him drinking the pickle juice right from the jar. At Christmastime, his clients bring him jars of pickles to try. Bottom line, Josif loves pickles. So it should come as no surprise that when presented with a collaboration that involved pickles, he relished the idea! And so begins the story of Trim Hunger’s Pickles with a Purpose.
a dill-lightful discovery
Josif says it all started decades ago on a trip to Door County. He picked up a jar of Wienke’s pickles and it was love at first bite! “I like them so much and I love the different varieties they have.” said Josif. “Even the celery!” Fast forward about thirty years. Josif is cutting a client’s hair who turns out to be a member of the Wienke family! The two talk about a collaboration, the wheels start turning, and a meeting is arranged. The plan was to have a special jar of pickles, where the proceeds would benefit Trim Hunger’s mission. Soon, Wienke’s Market had special labels made to seal the deal! And the Trim Hunger Pickles with a purpose were born.
road trip to algoma!



Because Josif is a hands on kind of guy, he and his wife Joy, headed north to do some of the labeling themselves. Marit and Sigrid, second generation Wienke’s, gave them a tour of the market that is filled with all sorts of fresh vegetables and more than 30 varieties sof pickled items. Then they gave them a behind-the-scenes tour of the operation to see where the magic happens. Pickling. Pie filling. The smells are amazing. When they got to the room filled with boxes of pickles ready for the special Trim Hunger labels, you would have thought it was Christmas morning. Josif was delighted! But, as everyone soon learned, he was not great at labeling. He left that to the experts.
IN A PICKLE. BUT NOT FOR LONG.
Joy and Josif traveled back to Appleton with a car full of boxes of Trim Hunger Pickles. But what to do with them? At the salon, jars were snatched up by Josif’s many clients. 20 dollars a jar. All for a good cause. It was easy. People like pickles. People want to help others in their communty.



pickle palooza!
The “pickles with a purpose” were certainly popular with Josif’s clients. But he was in a pickle on where to store them all. The studio space wasn’t going to cut it. Thanks to their many connections in the community, Josif and Trim Hunger VP Scott, were presented with a solution. Pickle Palooza at Prime Time Bar and Grill! On November 19th, 2024, they held a Pickle Palooza! A “pickle night” to help feed the hungry. Wienkes Pickle jars were available for purchase. And the folks at Prime Time went all out with the menu. For food they served burgers stuffed with pickles, deep friend pickles, pickle dip, and pickle cupcakes. For drinks they offered pickle lemonade, bloody marys, and pickle shots! As you can see from the pictures, it was a dill-lightfully good time and they sold out of the pickle jars!



Grateful for pickles
In an effort to bring more fundraising opportunities to Trim Hunger’s biggest event, Josif and his team of volunteers, loaded up the remaining boxes of pickles and brought them to Grateful Groove. Just before intermission, Josif let the audience know that the pickles were in house and available for sale for twenty dollars. They didn’t last long!
Because Trim Hunger’s Pickles with a Purpose are so popular, Josif and the Wienke’s are crunching out the details about where to take the collaboration next. At the heart of this partnership is a shared belief that food brings people together. With Wienke’s Market’s commitment to quality and Trim Hunger’s dedication to the cause, we’re proving that something as simple as a pickle can have a powerful impact.