advice on how to grow a homemade jams and marmalades business

[Veronica Dwirah]

OK so I have bitten the bullet and bravely started out creating a homemade artisan jams and marmalades business, Roni's Speciality Jams. I am really excited about it but I need some solid ideas on how to grow it.
I know the market of artisan, locally produced, all natural products with few ingredients and clean labelling is a very strong and growing trend and with a food Science Master degree and 9 years experience in the food and drink industry, I also have the technical knowledge and passion to drive this forward.
However what I need information on is how to attract business, get my product infront of the right people and get some contracts.
I have already created my website and facebook page and I have some great tasting products which have developed myself using distinct flavours to give me a point of difference to the jams you would find in the supermarkets.
Any genuine advice will be great. Thanks for your help!

 

[STDFR33]

Have you considered going to markets? Or approaching independent farm shops?

 

[ethical PR]

I agree street markets, local fairs and small independent farm shops and deli's would seem a good choice to expose your brand to customers.

You can also approach your local chamber of commerce, the business team at your local council and other business organisations in your area to see what support is available for new businesses.

Have a look at Marketing Donut for lots of advice for small businesses on marketing your business and developing a marketing strategy and plan

 

[billmccallum1957]

Your products don't shout SPECIALITY, they look and sound pretty average, and seem to be expensive for what's on offer.

Take a look at http://www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk/shop/, they have a real choice of alternatives and are priced accordingly.

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Thanks all for the really good advice! Yes I have considered selling them at my local market. Just need to get some display materials together and go for it. One of my local shops has also agreed to stock them.
Thanks ethical PR for the really great tips and avenues to pursue. Really appreciate it.Will let you know how it goes.

@billmccallum1957 thanks for your input but I strongly disagree that these are average products. Speciality is about alternatives but also quality and techniques used in production. When you use traditional methods and produce small batches at home, it's impossible to price as store bought mass produced jams are. As for the range of product don't worry this is only the start. The company is only 1 week old.

 

[billmccallum1957]

@billmccallum1957 thanks for your input but I strongly disagree that these are average products. Speciality is about alternatives but also quality and techniques used in production. When you use traditional methods and produce small batches at home, it's impossible to price as store bought mass produced jams are. As for the range of product don't worry this is only the start. The company is only 1 week old.

With all due respect Veronica, your viewpoint isn't relevant, its the perception of the customer that counts, they will spend their cash on your products... and the person who makes it always thinks its the bees knees, my youngest son is a chef, so I have been crash test dummy for some of his "Ideas".

Your lids and labels look generic, the ingredients of your first three products just don't inspire me to try any of them, and I am a consumer of the speciality products you aspire to.

Supermarket and speciality grocers have shelves full of a wide variety of what you want to produce, but there is some creativity in both ingredients and packaging which yours do not come close to matching.

And I haven't even tasted yours yet, not inspired yet.

Having said all that....best wishes for your venture.

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Thanks billmccallum1957. I appreciate your constructive criticism and thanks for taking the time to visit my website. I take your points on board. It only spurs me on to reach my goal so thanks again... Honestly

 

[tyro1979]

I'm not your target market but have purchased many such products when given a free taste and falling in love with the flavour. If I were you I'd want to hit a town at a time. Get as many people as possible to taste your product. If it's a good product the sales will cover the cost. If you do it big, word of mouth will further interest and sales. Remember the folks who opened a juice shop and threw fresh fruit to passers by who instinctively caught it. I do, I was eating my tea and watching the national news when I saw them. Best of luck.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

The simplest method to get noticed locally is to sell to one shop then set up a market stall selling your goods ,but offer small sample sandwiches to all people passing by and sell your goods to those who like it and tell them where they can normally buy from

a growing market is for Diabetic jam's and marmalades but most supermarket ones are tasteless

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Wow! Thanks for the great advice Tyro and Chris. Really encouraged by your response and ideas! Free sampling is definitely on my list so I will give it a go. Chris I have managed to get an order from one local shop as well so quite happy about it. I will look into the diabetic jams as well. Thanks a lot!

 

[ethical PR]

@Veronica Dwirah I am glad you have been positive about the feedback you have received. I would have to agree with @billmccallum1957 that your brand could do with a review to make it stand out including the design of your logo.

Do some competitor research - how are your competitors branding their product - what do they say about their brand, what does their strapline say, what do their logo's look like. How much do they cost?

Put yourself in your customers shoes - looking at what you say about your brand and the look of your packaging and logo - would you buy your products rather than one of your competitors?

Here are just a few of your competitors

http://www.kitchengardenpreserves.co.uk/sub-cats.php?cat_id=2

http://www.emilysjams.co.uk/

http://www.perthshirepreserves.co.uk/

http://jamtartpreserves.co.uk/

http://www.gingersjams.com/

http://www.artimondo.co.uk/handmade...m-230-g.html?gclid=CISF6PCzqs8CFYTnGwodNsAO7w

 

[swankypants69]

Sampling is an incredibly effective sales technique, as long as your product is good

You definitely need to improve your branding/labels etc as they wont jump off the shelf

I stock 4-5 different ranges of local type chutneys and sauces and they are all very distinctive in their branding and stand out well from each other

Might be worth employing someone to work with you to design a label/come up with some branding, might be the best few hundred quid you ever spend

 

[GraemeL]

Can you make an arrangement with someone who has a bread stall at markets?

 

[GraemeL]

Your products don't shout SPECIALITY, they look and sound pretty average, and seem to be expensive for what's on offer.

I don't think they are expensive, but do totally agree that the jar/label/ lid does not cause me to perceive this is a premium product. In fact at first I thought you were re-using Bonne Mamam jars. (Is the lid colour and pattern trademarked by them?)

The way the jar looks is critical unless you rely on tastings.

 

[billmccallum1957]

I don't think they are expensive, but do totally agree that the jar/label/ lid does not cause me to perceive this is a premium product. In fact at first I thought you were re-using Bonne Mamam jars. (Is the lid colour and pattern trademarked by them?)

The way the jar looks is critical unless you rely on tastings.

They are not expensive in the speciality market, I agree, but in terms of the overall product offer, they look cheap and the ingredients don't look that special.

 

[The Byre]

This is an easy one - and as I am a sucker for a pretty girl and a pretty girl of African decent (Ghana?) with a masters in food tech, well, it's a slam-dunk with me! (On joining the Paras, I went out with the most beautiful girl from Ghana who was learning to become a nurse in the British Army and, well, 48 years later, I still face South and howl at the moon.)

Anyway, everything about your product is wrong.

The website is hopeless. The packaging is hopeless and the product is pointless!

Sorry. But them's the apples on the table and you have no choice, but to have to bite into them! There just is no getting around how it is! If you were some lost housewife, trying to start a knitting shop - well, I would just shut up. But you are a food tech with a wealth of experience - you can and must do better than jam!

I am sure that your jam is better than anything I would get at any local market or bazaar - the only problem is, I can buy all kinds of homemade funky jams at £1 a jar at out local flea market. Forget jam! Seriously! It just is not a foodie product! Jam is what you buy at the local Women's Institute. It just is not a 'Now!' product!

You should be producing African sauces and you should be putting your name and picture on the jars! Marketing is all about selling the story, so you should be the story!

Western Africa produces some of the most amazing foods and I for one, would buy from you - but I ain't buying jam!

Funky, deep-heat, sweet and spicy foods are all the rage in the foodie community - and you are trying to sell jam???

How about jars of sauces for spicy fish and chicken dishes? Combine them with a booklet of recipes and you may have a winner. Spicy goat with etor (though finding goat in the supermarkets may be a bit of a stretch!)

 

[myfairworld]

I'm no marketing expert but just some comments from the point of view of someone who until recently was selling 'speciality' jams, marmalades and preserves as part of a retail business. The products concerned were 'fair trade' so 'speciality' if you like for a different reason to yours but they were made to a high standard and often contained 'interesting' ingredients.

Despite the apparent growth in the market for 'artisan' stuff etc etc it was in my experience a fickle market. Some people indeed would seek stuff out because it was fair trade or speciality or both but it was mainly an impulse purchase and the 'looks' of the product played a huge role in this. There are people who will read every ingredient before purchasing, there are people who seek out certain types of product but most people buy on the impulse of the moment and 'appearance' plays a huge role in the impulse. Maybe if they enjoy it enough they'll come back for more but they need to have made the impulse purchase first.

A second issue is that while many people value variety and interesting flavours in jam and marmalade, many simply don't. To many people - odd though it may seem to others - jam is simply jam. It is something sweet you put on bread and butter or toast or maybe you put a blob on a pudding and that's the end of it. Such customers are quite dead to the idea of paying more for something better because they can't personally taste the better, it is 'just' jam, it is 'just' sweet and that's the end of it. Customers have said to me 'Well jam's jam isn't it?' and from their point of view that is how it is. My point here is that simply getting your products into shops and/or as many shops as possible may not be the right approach, you need to get them into the shops where the sort of people who don't think that 'jam is jam' go to shop.

There is also a huge gift and special occasion element in 'speciality' products. People will buy things they might well not bother with for themselves when it is for a gift or for an occasion when they will be entertaining family and friends. But for such 'occasion' buying they want a more attractive exterior. It is infuriating but people will choose one product over the other because of minor details such as a piece of fabric over the lid held in place by an elastic band. Such 'dressing' drives shopkeepers mad because the very narrow elastic bands used for such purposes and generally stretched to their limits to keep the fabric in place routinely snap especially in warm weather! I can't be the only shopkeeper who keeps a stash of such bands to replace the ones which just flew through the air onto the floor! I'm not saying go for fabric over the lids but I am saying that I think your current lids are a bad idea. They are associated with another brand already and also convey a rather a workaday image which is the opposite of what you want for your very special handmade at home type product.

Spelling on labels is important if you are hoping to sell online and hoping search engines will bring people to your site. I liked the idea a lot of your 'Black Berry and Clove' jam as it is a flavour combination I'd find interesting. BUT if you put Black Berry into a search engine it splutters a bit and then comes up with links related to BlackBerry the smartphone. The fruit is usually written as Blackberry - one word and small second b. This sort of very minor detail is important if you are hoping to sell online.

The verbal 'tone' of your site is great as you are talking as one person to another and enthusing about the flavour of your products and their 'value' in terms of the effect this flavour will have on the consumer. You've convinced me, I'd actually like to try your Blackberry and Clove Jam though I won't buy it online as I just don't eat that much jam but I'd pick up a pot if I found one in a shop.

I actually think your product is under-priced. Many people will just not pay - or just can't pay - your current price but many of those who can and would will feel the price is too low for a really quality product. So difficult but some products have to be aimed at certain segments of the market and I suspect your segment (given a big upgrade in packaging) is upstream from where you are pricing it at present?

Good luck!

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Hummmm another jam maker. Im not jumping on you here but as mentioned there are lots around. If sticking with it then, and again you need to make it stand out from the crowd. The Byre made a good point about using African spices. There is a market here and in my brand ... I make peanut and nut butters by the way.. I use Tigernut which are from Spain but also Africa. People like something different.

Your website, Sorry its bad, You packaging is bad as well as the branding. However, you are having a go. It all just needs work. Don,t give up on it. I remember my first pots and labels, I was happy with them.. 18 months down the line they had changed completely.

I have been down the same path you need to and so here is some advice

MARKETS AND EVENTS

Find you local markets and get out there with your product. let people taste the product. they will give feedback also on new flavours. Don,t for the bigger events costinh hundreds to get on with the promise of 10,000 people.. They are on the whole rubbish uness you have something special

Take a stool, wrap up twice as warm as youthink you should and be prepared for boredom as well as a great laugh with fellow traders /// you are all in the same boat

I used the markets etc as a strategy. I would do the market, proove the sales and then approach local retailers to list.. worked for me... also you never know who will rock up at your stall. Ive had independent retailers, buyers from multinationals and more.. Its not just about the cash taken on the day.. its a great way to get a good brand going

LABELS AND DESIGN

Use digital printing for your new labels. Proffesional look and no huge runs of one type. This allows you to print many flavours from 50 to many hundreds

Designer / Spend a few bob and get your pots and design retail ready.. These have to look good for retailer and customer.. I out source my design work out of the UK .. sorry UK designers

OUTSOURCE YOUR PRODUCTION

People are scared about this sometimes but if you spend a lot of time making jam.. your not marketing and selling. Tap another jam maker and see if they will make yours. I make nut butters for other brands and have no problem with it.. Mine is the best though lol

Anyway, Im boring myself now

 

[Designed By Good People]

Good advice from the Peanut Butter Man (except about designers outsourcing). Get as many people to taste it, get feedback, do farmers markets etc. Much as I hate their tax situation, Amazon marketplace is a good portal. Some of our clients now exclusively sell online but are looking for concessions after starting at farmers markets or looking at Ocado etc.

But many of the comments about your branding are right, if a little blunt. People do judge a book by it's cover. Look at the major brands. They ooze confidence, they are distinctive and emotive. It helps to have a brand that is describable. But ultimately, why are you doing this? What is your story? What is your why, your purpose? You need to get this on your website. Google Simon Sinek and his Ted lecture.

Be bold, be confident, be consistent in how you communicate, but be yourself, be honest.

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Wow!!! I haven't logged on for a while as I was busy preparing my very first order for a local shop this weekend. Was a big milestone for me. Thanks to everyone whose taking the time to comment! Some harsh but all really great insight. I do agree with regards to branding there is much to be done. I did all the website and labels myself and it's my very first attempt at marketing so I take all your criticisms. I have a graphic design friend who am meeting up with to help with branding so this will definitely improve. Thanks my fair world for really great insights and appreciating something good about my writing and also the pricing. I am going to introduce new jar sizes and packaging to help with that. @ Byre it's great you love all things West African but I think you don't really appreciate the world of jams or jam making. That's fine. Sauces ( African style are on the agenda) but i want to start with jams and marmalades and build from there. It's not only the WI that makes jams by the way. Still thanks all for the input. Really appreciated

 

[learnster]

LABELS AND DESIGN

Use digital printing for your new labels. Proffesional look and no huge runs of one type. This allows you to print many flavours from 50 to many hundreds

Designer / Spend a few bob and get your pots and design retail ready.. These have to look good for retailer and customer.. I out source my design work out of the UK .. sorry UK designers

OUTSOURCE YOUR PRODUCTION

People are scared about this sometimes but if you spend a lot of time making jam.. your not marketing and selling. Tap another jam maker and see if they will make yours. I make nut butters for other brands and have no problem with it.. Mine is the best though lol

Anyway, Im boring myself now

Hi Peanut Butter Man,
How do you seal your jars? I imagine when someone buys a jar they would want to see some sort of seal or barrier? Just wondering how this could be done.
Thanks

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Hi Peanut Butter Man,
How do you seal your jars? I imagine when someone buys a jar they would want to see some sort of seal or barrier? Just wondering how this could be done.
Thanks

Hi Learnster

This can be done in different ways

1. Label over the lid and jar (tamper evident) if seal broken then jar has been opened
2. Foil seal inside jar (but you need to buy kit to do this)
3. But jars with in built tamper evident seals (Are more expensive than standard jars) and are not really pretty
4. Plastic seal that covers the lid and body of jar. This is heat shrunk with maybe a heat gun

Hope this helps

 

[Rob2012]

Hey you're doing great. Dont listen to certain negative people on here as they are most likely losers stuck in a day job with no real drive. I am sure you will get there with enough work.

One thing I would say - don't focus on making a profit from day one, you can sell your product at break even cost or even a loss in order to get the shelf space in shops. So if there is too much resistance to the price just lower it and grow the brand!

Secondly, I would take on few shops and seriously get their and customers feedback, and make serious improvements to the product now while its early. Such as packaging / tastes / sizes etc.

Thirdly try to do something that others arent doing, maybe you can sell to local coffee shops? maybe you can team up with bread maker and do some product? opportunities are there am sure. All about staying positive cause if you're negative then you already lost.

 

[Krystsina]

I was busy preparing my very first order for a local shop this weeken

Hi Veronica,

I hope you don't mind if I ask you if you needed to have a special license to produce such products at home? I mean, for example, from the hygiene inspection? My fiancee is planning to sell his own sauce, and the hygiene inspection said that it is possible to deliver such a product to shops only producing it at the special professional kitchen (even restaurant kitchen is not enough for it). So I'm just curious if such requirements are only for sauces, or for jams and similar products as well.

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Hi Veronica,

I hope you don't mind if I ask you if you needed to have a special license to produce such products at home? I mean, for example, from the hygiene inspection? My fiancee is planning to sell his own sauce, and the hygiene inspection said that it is possible to deliver such a product to shops only producing it at the special professional kitchen (even restaurant kitchen is not enough for it). So I'm just curious if such requirements are only for sauces, or for jams and similar products as well.

Hi Krystsina

That is a lot of nonsense. You can produce food stuff for sale at home as long as you are doing it in a safe way. Contact you local EHO (Environmental Health Department) Local council and they will guide you through this.

 

[Krystsina]

Hi Krystsina

That is a lot of nonsense. You can produce food stuff for sale at home as long as you are doing it in a safe way. Contact you local EHO (Environmental Health Department) Local council and they will guide you through this.

Hi,

thanks for your suggestion, I will re-check it as the information I mentioned in my previous post was told us by the representative of the hygiene inspection itself

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

hi Krystina, peanut butter Man is right. All I had to do was get my kitchen certified by our local Environmental health Department at the local council. Of course you need to comply to labelling legislation as well but I don't see why you couldn't use your own kitchen if you go through a similar process.

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Hey you're doing great. Dont listen to certain negative people on here as they are most likely losers stuck in a day job with no real drive. I am sure you will get there with enough work.

One thing I would say - don't focus on making a profit from day one, you can sell your product at break even cost or even a loss in order to get the shelf space in shops. So if there is too much resistance to the price just lower it and grow the brand!

Secondly, I would take on few shops and seriously get their and customers feedback, and make serious improvements to the product now while its early. Such as packaging / tastes / sizes etc.

Thirdly try to do something that others arent doing, maybe you can sell to local coffee shops? maybe you can team up with bread maker and do some product? opportunities are there am sure. All about staying positive cause if you're negative then you already lost.

Thanks for the advice. Really helpful!

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Hello everyone. Hope you are all having a great holiday season. It's been a while since you gave your feedback and advice on my thread. Thanks again. It's been really helpful especially with rebranding,product sizes and pricing. I think I am definitely making good progress. I did few market events this Christmas and most were very encouraging. I now have some regular customers in Banbury which is great as they love my products. I have done lots of work on my website as well. I know there's still some way to go but it's definitely better than my first one. You can have a look. The link is the same.
Still yet to figure out how to share pics here but u can have a look at how my products look now on the shop page of my website. I love the fresh new look thanks to a graphic designer friend. Plan to add a blog soon and two new products in the new year: Oxfordshire honey and chilli jam. Thanks again and all the best with your businesses

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Can't remember the link to the site. Have looked here but must be missing it

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

It's ronishomemadejams.co.uk

 

[The Byre]

You seem to be doing all the right things and moving in the right direction. The picture of yourself at the market stall is dire however. Get a really good picture of yourself - that will give potential customers the feeling of knowing you - what the marketing boys call 'emotional proximity'.

I still think that your picture should be the most important image on the website and there should be another or the same picture of you on the jars themselves.

But overall, we are watching someone here who could be heading for success in the long run!

 

[Veronica Dwirah]

Hi The Byre thanks for having a look. Yes that picture is not great as you can hardly make out my face. I will update it soon! Glad approve of the progress

 

[webgeek]

Put a jar in the hand of every blogger who writes about food.

Have contests, giveaways and freebies on social media - promoted freely on giveaway, contest and freebie sites.

Tell the story about how it's made, why it's special, the care and quality of ingredients, with big juicy photos in blog posts a couple of times per week, then mention on social media (twitter, facebook), etc. Food porn (no nudity just an expression) is your friend. So tap into the foodies.

Get some in the hands of the chefs at the nearby 4*/5* hotels/resorts nearby. Same with the high end B&B's who cater to a higher end clientelle.

Go take the SEO class at freshbananas and learn how to get 10x the traffic to your website, naturally.

Rinse lather repeat.

 

[Peanut Butter Man]

Ok... Things are looking better and you now have a uniform look across your range. You will develop this further Im sure.

The Byre makes a good point about images. The best you can get, even if you spend a few bob to get them done. However, I know myself that these things take time.

Webgeek also makes the pint about use of social media ( I think this should start before the business launches) be aware about giving stuff away.. You need to be choosy and connect with ppl with 5/10/20'000 followers or its just not really worth it. At these numbers you will get instagram and twitter ppl giving you a 'shoutout' for free jam... after this you may have to pay a few bob. But social media is just that.. be social, connect with other people in Jam and related products... answer people who comment.. Take pictures of your customers clutching their new jam.. VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO (JUST DO IT) Lots of advice on this so I wont go on.

Local Hotels etc... make your jam in a 28g pot for the breakfast tables.. you name.. your brand.. You never know who maybe having your jam one day ;-)

Your website... people want ingredients and nutrition data.. do it (you will lose sales without)

FAQ: your site needs one.. Tell people what to expect maybe in delivery times for royal mail... etc etc., Answer questions before people have to ask

All looking goof though

 

[webgeek]

Oh, and milk delivery! The people who pay for milk delivery are often the ones affluent enough to also pay for veggie boxes, gift hampers, etc. Let them add your product to their menu, discounting appropriately so they make something by selling as an affiliate on your behalf - then you can ship to one point but have many distributed beyond to their customers.

If that's not working incredibly well, then give them enough for each customer to get one of those wee jars as a sampler.

If you've got diet line, boozy jam, local sourced products like scottish bramble - or the worlds most tart gooseberry - find a niche or two or three and use that uniqueness to set your apart.