IN THE BEGINNING...
Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink
So why? you ask. Everyone loves fruit. My wife, who loves a sweet, juicy summer peach as much as the next person, developed severe allergic reactions as an adult when eating certain fresh fruits. We also discovered eating them after cooking, canning or otherwise processed was not a problem (although pies could be deemed a "problem" eventually), but commercially tinned fruit is just not her thing. I love those same fruits when in season, but it's hard to enjoy something when your loved one is standing there eyeing it hungrily, making me feel inexplicably guilty for being able to enjoy it. I wanted to find a way to let her enjoy those fruits without that canned, pallid taste.
JamAlula is produced only in small batches by hand in authentic copper jam pots. We use locally sourced fruit that is certified organic or farmed by organic growing methods, lower sugar, no added preservatives or pectin, and cooked as little as possible to preserve the delicious flavors of the season. Caution: there are often CHUNKS of fruit in JamAlula!
We Are JamAlula
JamAlula is the brainchild of Chief Jam Maker Marc Mergen. Marc hales from the small but mighty country of Luxembourg where he learned to make jam the classic European way at the elbows of grandmother, aunt and mother at the family farm filled with fruit orchards. While much of the fruit made it into jams, a good portion was distilled into eau de vie. Not having a still available, Marc creates his intensely fruity small-batch jams instead.
JamAlula also has a small but mighty team who are not only the other faces of JamAlula at the market, but powers in the making of JamAlula as well. Akiko is our production chef; she has years of restaurant experience behind her, which includes a stint at a famed Thomas Keller establishment. Gilbert, a friend for many years already, moved back to California while his daughter attends UC Berkeley and joined us so he'd have something to do other than making unannounced visits to the campus (that's just our spin -- he'll probably tell you something different). His steady, even keel keeps us chugging ahead.
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And then there's Marc's wife, Elaine, who functions as brand ambassador, market vendor, marketing officer, packaging designer, administrative and moral support, as well as all-around Devil's advocate ... like her card says: "Chief Everything Else Officer."