Uncle Bernie’s Gourmet Pickled Eggs & Butch’s Best BBQ Sauce
BIZ X Magazine – February 2025
By David Clark
Uncle Bernie Products Inc. (a.k.a. Uncle Bernie’s Gourmet Pickled Eggs) and Butch’s Best BBQ Sauce, are run by two recent retirees from Stellantis/Chrysler who traded their work gloves for kitchen aprons.
Working harder than ever, their products are reaching your table, as the owners find early success with their businesses and are now gracing the pages of Biz-X magazine. First let’s start with Uncle Bernie Products Inc., which opened in April of 2024 and whose owner is an expert at creating the best pickled eggs you’ll come across in Windsor Essex.
You can find Uncle Bernie’s Gourmet Pickled Eggs at local taverns and other food service locations, but a jar can also come home with you if you frequent The City Market in Windsor, where the business is located.
Alongside the eggs, you can look into the pickled Cottam Cold Storage kielbasa, a good companion to those beautifully-crafted eggs. Other products are in the works as well, as the owner is not good at being idle. Beginning with a strong foot forward, Owner/Operator Bernie Martin was a nominee for the 2024 Biz X magazine Outstanding New Business of the Year Award, a real honour. Also, through Foodspotter Facebook pages his clients are constantly talking about the business, giving testimonials on Uncle Bernie Products Inc., making them Facebook famous!
“So far, since the official opening of Uncle Bernie Products Inc. in 2024, after deciding on supplementing my income after retiring in 2022 as a Tradesman from Chrysler, I’m incorporated and I have my own certified kitchen to make my eggs,” says Martin.
It all started in the early days when Martin utilized a kitchen at the Ten Friends Diner where a friend of his, Troy (last name with held) introduced him to the Director, Caroline (last name withheld) who offered them their kitchen after hours to process the jars.
Martin can’t say enough good things about how wonderful the people are there. They hire those with mental issues and have a unique program for individuals who need it.
In time as the business began to grow, Martin ended up having a look for a larger kitchen, and so a move to the City Market was made.
“After some time, I thought my target market would be at old school pubs like the Southwood Hotel, but to my surprise it’s men and women of all ages who are the customers,” explains Martin. “These eggs are not just for the bar customers, but for those who enjoy the health benefits — like the gym crowd.”
At present there are 11 markets from Amherstburg to Chatham that sell his products by the jar and are resupplied on a regular basis, every seven to 10 days. Also 22 bars sell the eggs to their customers. A list of places that sell the eggs can be found on: unclebernieproducts.com. And of course, Martin sells to the public at The City Market location too.
“Regarding the eggs and flavours sold, presently there are 13 recipes like the mild ones including the best seller, Old School,” says Martin. “Also Pickle Pickled and Eggstreme Garlic are right up there. My personal favourite is the Sun Dried Tomato, an average seller, but will gain popularity when people get the chance to try them. If you want really hot, I can introduce you to the Jalapeno and the Eggferno.“
Martin forecasts 20 egg recipes by this time nest year also. “I definitely don’t want to slow down and be static.”
Butch’s Best BBQ Sauce
According to Martin: “I hope that my success in business will encourage other auto industry retirees to realize there is life after we leave the factory behind us and empower them to get off the couch and pursue a dream.”
Now let’s move to the second section of this article, owned by another retiree who began his own business after his son, TJ did a test market run of their original BBQ sauce.
The clientele loved it so much, and as a result, in 2020, Butch’s Best BBQ Sauce was borne, operated by Ted “Butch” Rocheleau.
Rocheleau officially started selling gourmet BBQ sauce at work, but after he retired from Chrysler in 2024 it left many of his customers at the plant a little stunned they couldn’t order more of this zesty sauce. However, they eventually found his products — read on to see where!
A Kingsville native, Rocheleau started making sauce because he didn’t like the BBQ sauces that were out there. With is wife Jo Ann Rocheleau running Sweet Memories Bakery in Kingsville, since 1998, Rocheleau had the cooler space he needed, a place for manufacturing and a main pickup hub for his sauces.
Rocheleau describes the sauces as: “Tangy and sweet, but we have five levels of heat — Original, Mild, Medium, Hot and Xtreme flavours. If you love heat, but still want to have flavour and taste your food, this is the sauce you’ve been missing in your life!”
He goes on to explain: “Initially made it as a BBQ sauce for chicken and ribs, but now it’s truly become an ‘everything sauce’. We didn’t realize the versatility of our sauce until our clients bought it and told us what they used it with. It just works! The sauce goes great on everything, including fruit, even apples — it’s not just for barbecuing anymore.”
The prices include the 400 ml squeeze and 500ml jars, at $10 each. The 1 litre size is for those who are afraid to run out… that would be $18.
Currently, you will find Butch’s Best BBQ Sauce in over 35 locations in Ontario and growing. Original Guys Pizza Pies (OG Pizza) uses the Original BBQ Sauce at all their pizzerias.
When it comes to business orders online, they have a steady amount from the province, including London, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa and of course, Windsor.
Besides being a tremendous success with the general public and getting more customers every day, it’s been really a fun experience for Rocheleau. The numbers are staggering as to how much they’ve grown in locations and volume as of late.
“As for any future plans, I’m going to just keep making the sauce ad enjoy the moment until it’s not fun anymore,” explains Rocheleau. ” I would imagine our son would take over as he also likes coming to the markets and festivals with me.”
Concerning events in the area, after they made their debut they attended the Chatham Ribfest and won Best BBQ Sauce. In 2025, they are lined up to attend other venues, including the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market, Harrow Fair, Ruthven Apple Festival, Crowfest Chatham-Kent and Heritage Village Christmas, to name a few.
For a list of purchase locations and to order online, visit: butchs.ca
