What are you jamming to? Trade Street Jam Co. of course!
Your new favorite jam
From a simple scroll through Trade Street Jam Co’s Instagram one would quickly realize this is not your average jam! Boasting unique flavors such as spicy vanilla kiwi, smoked yellow peach, and cranberry raspberry sage… this company immediately stands out as unapologetically unique with enough flavors to make any palette go wild.
Founder Ashley Rouse’s passion for all things food grew into something more: a company built on the foundation of culinary innovation. Her company Trade Street Jam Co. blossomed from a tiny apartment in North Carolina on Trade Street (since relocated to Brooklyn, NY) to being featured on Vice Tv’s Hustle. The brand strives to share Ashley’s 15+ years of culinary knowledge in the form of a small batch jar of jam that can be used in cocktails, salad dressings, BBQ sauces, marinades, pan sauces & so much more.
Did we mention all of Trade Street Jam Co. jams are also vegan? The brand’s jams are vegan, low in sugar, and uses no preservatives. Even the most health conscious can enjoy the brands products.
We caught up with Ashley Rouse to discuss her business Trade Street Jam Co., her journey as an entrepreneur and what she’s learned along the way!
How did Trade Street Jam Co. start?
Ever since I was a chef, I always loved preserving flavors… creating jams became a hobby. I always wanted something different so I never had any interest in creating a traditional jam flavor such as strawberry or grape because those flavors were oversaturated in the market. Instead I wanted to play around with funky flavors most people would not be accustomed to such as habaneros, chipotles and just really blend things together.
In order to choose what flavors to pursue I would use my husband as a test dummy. Health was also really important to me. Americans face a lot of health issues; it did not make sense to introduce something to the market that was not good for Americans as well as my people.
What was the hardest thing for you getting started?
Honestly everything was a challenge in the beginning. I had no experience in starting a brand. I had no blueprint and just had to learn by doing. Luckily I started small selling all of my jams primarily on Etsy. I learned a lot about ordering jars, labeling, and pricing my products.
How was your experience on Vice Tv’s Hustle?
I was super pumped for the episode. I was not afraid to share my story and my struggles to the world. I’m all for transparency, I wanted viewers to see my life as an entrepreneur is not always fun… I have no employees, some days I get no sleep, and some days business is slow. Overall, it was a learning experience that I greatly benefited from. The best entrepreneurial advice I’ve received to date was from the show’s host, John Henry and he told me “learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
When did you feel it was right to leave your 9-5 job?
I never believed I could quit my full-time job to start this lil’ ol jam biz. My husband saw the vision and pushed me to do it. I often found myself spending more time working on my brand than I was doing my actual work. I loved my full-time job and didn’t want my work to suffer. I also did not want to start with no funds to fully launch my brand. My husband is very data driven so we sat down and calculated how long we could survive if our income completely stopped. We came to about a year. So, I had a year to go out and pursue my own business. I quit my job a year and a half ago and I’m still going strong as my own boss!
Describe your day as a business owner?
Every day is different. I wake up in the morning and cook breakfast for me and my husband. I’m on my computer literally all day. From my computer I handle all marketing, orders, and any other business inquires. When I’m not on my computer, I’m crafting new flavors for my jams.
What do you think about the Makerhoods project?
I think it’s the perfect community initiative. I love that Makerhoods is building from inside the community. There is so much talent locally. Most entrepreneurs do not know how to start as they don’t have the business knowledge or adequate funds to successfully launch their product. Makerhoods is supplying business help, an affordable living space and commercial space… while keeping everyone local. This will be great!
How has your business impacted people/the community for the better?
Healthy consumption is really important to me. A lot of Americans deal with health issues and a great deal of people of color are dealing with diabetes. I wanted to not only create a great tasting product but a product that was also healthy. My jams are vegan, low in sugar and have no preservatives. Aside from my product, I hope any women can look at me as inspiration. I’m a proud black woman minority business owner.
What advice would you tell your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to be more patient and kind to yourself. Continue moving at a steady pace, there is no such thing as overnight success.
What are your plans for 2020?
Continue making money! I want to get my brand into larger stores such as Wholefoods and Target. So far we are in about 30 smaller stores across the U.S. I also want to continue growing my ecommerce.
Anthony Smith, Community Outreach Coordinator
After graduating college and returning back to my hometown of Newark, NJ I became a member of the Newark Makerhoods team. This transformative experience put me in touch with many local entrepreneurs who are all in different business stages, ranging from established to upstart. Newark is a thriving city for talented creators. I'm here to share their stories and launch their business to the everyday public’s eye.