3 minute read
THAT’S MY JAM
Meghan Norris - Founder, That's My Jam
Photo courtesy: That's My Jam
He had some pretty serious food allergies so I had to know what was going into me to know exactly what was going into his breastmilk! I found myself on a restricted diet and eating a lot of plain oatmeal. I began craving a way to add some more flavour whilst still knowing the exact ingredients. I made some “Apple Pie Jam” and it was great! My husband loved it and encouraged me to try selling a few jars. I put them on Facebook and they sold out in the blink of an eye which served to motivate me to keep going with more flavours!
I added pepper jelly (which I have been making for years) and a Garlic Rosemary Jelly. This trio has become my staple offering year-round. To these I strive to have another 2-3 “seasonal” offerings at any given point. So, for example, we did a Christmas Berry Jam and a Pepper Pineapple Clove/ Pineapple Clove Jam at Christmas time which were super well-received! For Spring we are doing a Papaya Lemon Jam and also right now it’s mango season so we are going wild with the mango chutney! In addition to these we have just launched a collab with Loyd’s Tea - Mixed Berry and Earl Grey Jam. Some of our customers say this is the best flavour yet!
As you may have guessed, I love to have fun with different flavour combinations and I am always experimenting, looking for that next unique flavour which I think my customers will enjoy. The ingredients themselves are also key and we aim to use local offerings as far as possible including twists on some “classic” ingredients/flavours to keep people guessing!
All of our Jams are made in small batches because it is my belief that this truly helps to ensure consistent quality and a “hand-crafted” touch which resonates in the flavour of each jar I make.
Even though we are still a cottage industry the quality and presentation of our products is absolutely paramount. I spend hours and hours pouring over the look and feel of our branding, labeling and especially our social media! We also use commercial grade canning processes to ensure the freshness and longevity of our Jams.
As much as I love this business it is not without its challenges. I still have a full-time job and two toddler sons - they are 15 months apart! My friends often joke/marvel how I find the time to maintain a “side hustle”! At the time of writing we are still in the COVID-19 lockdown so juggling between looking after my family during this difficult period and looking after my business (and my customers’ tastebuds!) has become even harder. Nevertheless, I remain committed to That’s My Jam (Or TMJ as we now call it!) and I’m grateful people are still enjoying the products. So what’s next for TMJ? We continue to build strong relationships with our distribution partners. Clifton Market and Brighton Farmer’s Market have been amazing allies in making our products readily available to our loyal customers. We also teamed up with Gale’s Agro Products to be a part of their Veg box delivery system during this time which has also worked out great! We plan to continue in this vein and have plans for further distribution/collection options.
Of course we also have plans for new Jam flavours and are currently working on some exciting options for our Summer Collection! In addition, a common question we get is “What else do you make!?” Stay tuned as That’s My Jam has plans to branch out!
Photo courtesy: That's My Jam
