My love for making gourmet jams and
jelly came from the pleasure of growing up on a farm in Niagara on the lake. Back then it was a lot different. We only had a few wineries Andrés and Bright’s that I can remember and there wasn’t as many sub divisions. Everyone knew everyone else’s family. Harvest time was always my favorite time of the year. My cousins would come over and we would make forts out of the grape crates until they were needed in the fields. The aromas in the house at that time of year from my mom and grandmother canning is where my passion for Exotic Jelly started. I grow as many of the ingredients as possible as well as buying from neighbouring farms to ensure freshness. All of the jellies are made in small batches to lock in the unique flavour combinations. The beauty of my job is that if I get bored, I can just create a new jelly. Starting up my business has been a crazy struggle. There have been a lot of setbacks. When I first started Exotic Jelly, I owned another business as well called What’s In My Closet. It was a high end consignment shop and trying to run two businesses was difficult. So I followed my passion and closed What’s In My Closet at the end of 2015. Then because of family issues taking up most of my time, we can say that 2017 will be my first year putting my entire focus on the jellies. To run a business, you need to be a Jill of all trades. From growing crops, creating flavour combinations, ordering supplies, meeting all health department regulations, designing labels, packaging, promoting my business, accounting, and dealing with the crazies. But I would not trade it for anything. So I guess that is true passion. Have a jelly good day! Niagara Farm Girl.
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