Posted by Nick Roster on 12/21/2011 to
Production Notes
Today was another production day, and perhaps one of the last before the "Christmas Break". We make our Cherry Jams, Cherry Salsas, Cherry Honey Mustard, and all our other jarred products in small batches. What does this mean? Our kettle is only 5 gallons... that's it (at least for now). That is a small batch!
Other processors have kettles in the hundreds of gallons. We have chosen a small kettle to keep our products on the shelf fresher. If you make a hundred gallon batch of a product, it can take anywhere between six months to a year to sell through all that jam. Sure, jams are shelf stable and have no problem lasting on the shelf for that long (or longer), but we like the taste of the fresh stuff better, and you will notice a difference too.
So to us, a small kettle means we make our products many more times per year than other large batch companies. Our product looks better - over time cherries will turn darker and darker, eventually turning brown (it's a natural process). Our products taste better. And by the time you buy them, you will know that they haven't been sitting in a basement or warehouse for months.
The real test, however; is what you think. How does Cherry Stop Cherry Jam, or Cherry Salsa compare? Do you feel better knowing that the Cherry Gift you are sending is fresh? We hope we know the answers to these questions, but feel free to post a comment below.