August 2009
From gift giving... to friendship... to partnership...
Two talented International Falls women turn gift giving into a lucrative business. What started out as a love of roasted red pepper jam for Brenda Jones, over time, evolved into "Lakeside Gourmet." Jones started experimenting with pepper jam recipes as a hobby; giving jam as gifts to family and friends. After gifting a jar of jalapeño-green pepper jam to friend, Colleen Fletcher, the two began making jam together for family and friends. They later decided to share their creations with the world and formed their business Lakeside Gourmet in September of 2007. Their first sales were at a local craft show in December of 2007 which was a big success. They learned quickly the key to selling was simply offering samples because the product has a unique taste that sells itself.
Although both women were experienced in business, food production and sales came with a new set of regulations and challenges. Initially their jam was made on a small scale at home but within six months they were stocking their product at local grocery stores. For this to happen they were required to move production to a commercial kitchen. Through a connection with the local Women's Business Network they were able to lease commercial kitchen space from another small business owner, Sheila Johnson of the Coffee Landing Metro, during the evening when she was closed. Other challenges that arose along the way included packaging, the multitude of paperwork in becoming certified and licensed, how to work around the high cost of shipping, and time management.
The two entrepreneurs have worked diligently in meeting their goals outlined in their five year plan, have stayed on track and still continue to have fun. A tradition they have continued from the beginning is gifting new product to family and friends - and if successful these flavors are added to their product line. The flagship flavors that got them started and continue to be offered today are blackberry-jalapeño, blueberry-jalapeño, jalapeño-green pepper and raspberry-roasted red pepper. The gourmet jams can be used as a glaze on chicken, pork, fish or wild game, can be added to existing sauces to add flavor, or even used in baking or served over ice cream. One of the more popular uses of the jam is over cream cheese served with crackers for a delicious, inexpensive and convenient hors d'oeuvre.
Lakeside Gourmet has come a long way since their first meeting at Sha Sha Resort where the name evolved…fittingly while dining lake-side on beautiful Rainy Lake. With a background in graphic design, Jones came up with the name along with the graphics and design for the product. At one time they thought it was a big deal to order 500 jars at a time, now they are ordering 5,000. Their next major hurdle is how to leap from small time to big time. They have contemplated using machinery for jarring, labeling and packaging but not for making the jam so as not to compromise the product. They recently attended their first exhibit of buyers at Minneapolis Mart. This was a good experience in gaining name and product recognition and they received valuable feedback on the product, packaging and presentation.
Lakeside Gourmet jams can be purchased locally at various grocery and gift shops or ordered directly from their website at
shop.lakesidegourmetjam.com. Jones and Fletcher both have a connection to the area and the beautiful lakes throughout Minnesota and a love of fine food. Their motto "live, eat and travel" encompasses the desire to live life to the fullest. They would eventually like to start a lifestyle magazine and, of course, the entrepreneurs hope in the future to be able to sustain themselves and their families and maybe someday become "jamionairs".
