Desserts, toppings, pastries, and other food can be combined with jam to achieve a great flavor for both kids and adults. Throughout the years, jams and jellies have been among the beloved food preserves for many generations. With organic food becoming one of the main food trends in recent years, a lot of people started making jams and jellies from the comfort of their homes. If cooking is one of your hobbies, you can easily turn it into a company. We’ve shared the steps for becoming a business owner in that field in our article on how to start a jam business. In this blog post, we’ll share a bit more about the marketing and sales techniques that you can use to sell jam and achieve success in the food preserves and spreads niche.
Can You Sell Homemade Jam and Jelly
Cottage food laws allow individuals to make and sell homemade food products without having a commercial kitchen or food processing facility. Popular examples include selling homemade cookies online or canned goods. These regulations are state-specific and vary from state to state. Some of the common restrictions and requirements under cottage food laws include:
- Labeling. If you wish to sell jam or jelly, they should be labeled appropriately. The label should include ingredients, net weight, contact information, and other specifics.
- Volume. Cottage food laws limit individual producers in terms of the revenue they can generate via selling homemade products. If you wish to sell jam and jelly wholesale, you need to apply for a wholesaler license as well as follow other regulations.
- Inspections. Some states check whether your facility meets hygiene and safety standards. That’s done by regular health authorities inspections.
- Restricted products. Cottage food laws include a list of allowed food items to sell.
Key takeaway: You can sell jam, jelly, and other homemade food products at farmers’ markets, festivals, or to local stores and businesses. The Cottage food laws regulate the sale of homemade food products.
Where to Sell Jam and Jelly
Cottage food laws might also regulate where you sell jam, jelly, or other homemade food products. Let’s dive a little deeper into the main places where you can sell these items.
- Farmers’ markets. These events attract a lot of customers who’re looking to buy organic and homemade food products. Thus, they are a perfect opportunity to sell jam, jelly, and other food preserves.
- Local stores. You can partner with gourmet shops and health food stores where you can sell your homemade products. This can also be done via consignment.
- Festivals and events. Being part of craft shows, food festivals, and local fairs can give you the opportunity not only to sell jam and other fruit preserves but also to establish a connection with the local community.
- Cafes, bakeries, and businesses from the restaurant industry. These businesses often need fruit preserves for desserts and complement to their menu.
- Online marketplaces and websites. You can partner with other companies and sell jams and jellies through them. Good examples of that are subscription boxes and gift businesses. If you make unique products, you can also partner with wholesale nut butters and food preserves suppliers who are looking for producers of boutique jams and jellies. Marketplaces like Etsy give the opportunity to sell jams and jellies that are one-of-a-kind.
Marketing Techniques for Selling Jam and Jelly
As competition in every market niche grows, businesses need to invest more in marketing and advertisement in order to grow their market share. That’s true for small businesses and individuals who sell jam, jelly, and homemade products as well. Allow us to share some ideas on marketing techniques you can use in order to maximize the profits of your enterprise.
Content and Social Media Marketing
Visual content of food products can have a great impact on customers. That’s why you should utilize platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Try to give value with every post. Recipes, decoration ideas, and tips can be a great way to engage your audience. Additionally, you should strongly consider starting a blog or creating videos for YouTube and TikTok. Video content is not only the current trend, but will be the most preferred type of content in the near future.
Events
Tasting events or jam-making workshops can be a fun activity that increases your brand recognition and help increase sales. At these events, you can sell jam, jelly, nut butters, and accessories for making food preserves.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Businesses often combine in order to increase their sales. You can join efforts with food bloggers and vloggers, influencers, and local businesses in order to help each other out. For example, you can give influencers a unique promo code that can be used by their audience to get a discount at your online store for jams and jellies.
Email Marketing
It’s a cheap marketing channel that can be used in various ways. You can inform audiences about seasonal promotions, send useful content such as recipes, and promote new products and services.
How Much Does Homemade Jam and Jelly Sell For
The price depends on a number of factors. Generally, a jar of homemade jam or jelly ranges between $5 and $10. However, specialty or unique food preserves can reach $20 or even more. The most common types of fruit preserves are strawberry jam and grape jelly. But if you wish to explore a niche that has less competition, you can aim to produce exotic products such as jalapeños jelly, Japanese matcha jam, or ginger jam. Even though there’s less demand for these food preserves, there is also much less competition and they can still appeal to a wide audience.
Frequently Asked Questions about Selling Jam and Jelly
If you’re planning to sell jam, jelly, nut butters, or other homemade food products, you probably have a lot of questions and are researching the topics carefully. Let’s answer some of the most common questions.
What Other Jam and Jelly Businesses Can You Start?
As we mentioned in our article on how to start a jam business, there are numerous ideas one can explore in this field. Here are some of the top ideas for jam and jelly businesses:
- Online store. Jam and jelly producers can benefit a lot from the increase of eCommerce trade. You can start an online store easily. The website can be grown to sell other accessories such as jars, nut butters, gifts, and other sweets.
- Jam gifts. Small jars of exotic jams and jellies are among the popular gifts for travelers. Furthermore, you can sell jam and jelly products to corporate clients that wish to give presents to their employees.
- Mobile stand. A mobile jam and jelly stand can be placed near festivals, music events, or somewhere that attracts a lot of pedestrians like a busy street or a park.
What Other Homemade Food Products Can You Sell?
Cottage food laws allow individuals to sell homemade goods. Here are some popular products that you can make at home and sell to customers:
- Dried fruits and nuts;
- Fruit pies;
- Candies;
- Dry mixes and spice blends;
- Vegetable preserves;
- Honey products;
- Different types of nut butters. Check out our article on starting a nut butter business.
Make sure to do thorough research on the Cottage food laws and the homemade food products you can sell under this legislation as they are different in every state. For example, if you wish to make bulk quantities and sell wholesale peanut butter, there are additional regulations and permits you need to acquire.
Can You Sell Jam from Home?
Yes, you can. Even if you’re limited in terms of mobility and can’t attend festivals of farmers’ markets, you can set up a good-looking website where you can list your products. Keep in mind that clients want to shop from stores that offer a variety of options. That means you should aim to sell jams and jellies made from different fruits as well as mixes. In terms of quantity, you should also consider selling different jar sizes of your fruit preserves.