our story
Hi there! We are Chris and Andrea, the newlywed couple behind jarred, which we jokingly refer to as our “high-maintenance hobby”.
During the 2013 Christmas season, we were on a bit of a tight budget. Despite our financial state, it was really important for us to give all of our close family and friends meaningful gifts.
Being very DIY and naturals in the kitchen, Andrea came up with the idea of making apple butters. We made a few batches which we packaged, wrapped up, and placed under our friend and families’ various Christmas trees.
Before the New Year festivities began, everyone was telling us that they loved them so much and we started to consistently hear “You Need to Sell This!” more and more. So we listened. In 2014, we switched into high gear and what started as a gift idea/hobby quickly became a small growing business.
growing with jarred
It didn’t take too long before we started selling our products in various arts markets, seasonal and local fairs and festivals, and promoting ourselves online with tools like Esty, Facebook, and Instagram. And with our wedding scheduled for September 2015, we decided that this would be a fun way for the two of us to spend more time together and raise funds for our special day.
The apple butter had been such a hit with our friends and family that we even made some as custom wedding favours for our guests. jarred has helped bring us closer together, as it has taken a lot of teamwork and patience to start a small business while trying to plan a wedding at the same time.
 Our original booth when we expanded to the Leslieville Arts Market, back in early 2015. |
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 This is all of the apples from a single shopping trip, back in the early days. 200lbs! |
 Our living room became a workshop as Chris was designing and building our newest display, now at the Leslieville Arts Market |
 Our charcoal smoker. This was actually during the seasoning process, usually more of the smoke stays inside of the smoker, but it does make for a more interesting photo! |
 Our booth at the College Arts Market location |
 Chris hard at work in the kitchen at Hitch Ltd. |
 Watching a Marlies game together |
 The newest addition to our family, making his appearance in June 2017 <3 |
 Such a cool location for wedding photos! |
It quickly become a creative outlet for us since we create all of our own flavours, produce all of our own products, and design/print/cut our own labels. We even grow our own cayennes for the cayenne apple butter!
It’s also helped us support the things we believe in, such as buying local, having transparent labeling, knowing where our food comes from, and using natural ingredients without preservatives.
This business has grown so much in the past few years. We are always experimenting in the kitchen and trying to find new ways to bring new flavours to the food we eat. This business isn’t for every couple, but it’s helped defined who we are and who we want to become as husband and wife.
Thank you for all of your support!