There is only one job that could possibly be better than mine and Rebecca Staffel has it.
As Chief Tasting Officer and founder of Deluxe Foods, Rebecca is doing something most of us dream about: making (and eating?) jam all day.
At a recent Urban Craft Uprising event, I found Rebecca happily sharing samples of her homemade goodness with the masses. Flavors like Raspberry Thyme, Gingered Rhubarb, Strawberry Balsamic, and Peach with Vanilla Bourbon screamed, “Taste me!” from her booth. The Strawberry Balsamic was possibly some of the best jam I’d ever sampled; I only wished I was able to as the label suggests, “Try it on toast”.
The following week I headed to Deluxe Foods world headquarters in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle. Hidden among small storefronts and residences just off the lake, Rebecca and her teammate Andrew (“The company has increased by 100%; we now have two employees!”) create jams, sauces and butters in small batches from a modest commercial kitchen. “We only use Washington state organic produce, except for the lemon, sugar, and spices. I even try to pick up the produce by bicycle when possible.” (conveniently, her husband owns a bicycle shop) This morning, the workforce of two was inspecting each raspberry from family-owned Hayton Farms in the Skagit Valley. “We’re all about celebrating Washington fruit,” Rebecca says.
What makes this jam different from the vats of commercial stuff at the grocery store? For starters, it’s made French style with no pectin; just the fruit, lemon, and sugar. I can verify, it tastes better too. Rebecca explains in this video: Rebecca talks jam
Deluxe Foods produces as much of a product as possible each season, which is about thirty cases of each flavor. Production peaks from April to November when fresh fruits are available, but that doesn’t mean things slow down in the off-season. The two person crew makes apple and pear butter, along with milk jam (dulce de leche) in the winter. Clearly, Rebecca’s experience as a cookbook editor at Amazon influences her tour-de-force of offerings.
Rebecca credits her previous experience at Microsoft and then Amazon, for the training to start her own business. In 2009 she quit the big business world to consider the endeavor of making jam. Deluxe Foods opened in January 2010. “The hard part,” she says, “is the research to fulfill the vision for the company. My goals as a business person are to have a strong local business with national recognition, to make a living wage, and to be able to pay my employees a living wage. As far as a sustainable local business, I want to support local organic agriculture, not depend on investors to make a profit, and keep producing good food people will buy. I also think in terms of beginning to end, how can we do this while at the same time go easy on the planet.”
At Deluxe Foods, sustainability translates into many things. In addition to using local ingredients, the small business consciously minimizes their waste and packaging. Cardboard boxes from fruit are recycled and fruit scraps are composted. Hairnets (yes, they wear them) and plastic bags from bulk organic sugar are the only things that are thrown away. Mindful of their packaging, Deluxe Foods uses recycled cardboard boxes, padding from Geami products, and even re-uses packing materials from Rebecca’s husband’s bike shop.
And when it came time to market and produce an actual product, Rebecca chose to hire a local graphic artist to design the company label and website, as well as buy jars from a local outfitter. “I like to keep money in the local community,” she says.
As the berries were successfully sorted all to the soundtrack of “They Might Be Giants’ ” latest release, Andrew adds, (and I believe him) “I never thought cutting rhubarb for six hours straight could be this fun.” Rebecca laughs. “It’s only good if you’re having fun!”
earthbongo celebrates Deluxe Foods, an enterprise that sets the standard for local and sustainable small businesses. Interested in going local? earthbongo has a project for that:
http://earthbongo.com/project/142/relocalize
