Mathias Gedney founded M.A. Gedney Company in 1881 when he began his own pickle company. The company makes its original fermented dills just as Mathias Anderson Gedney did back in 1881. It insists that Gedney cucumbers be hand picked at the perfect size and time of ripeness. From the beginning, the Gedney family has preferred real onions and peppers and real sprigs of fresh dill over flavoring oils or chemicals. Its patented pickle-finisher gently pushes even tiny cukes below the jar lip so Gedney Pickles are never smashed. The company designed its own pickle pasteurizer which precisely heats and cools each jar after filling with brine made of its Gedney vinegar. In addition to pickles, it also offers condiments, dips and sauces. M.A. Gedney Company is located in Chaska, Minn.