In this Q&A series, SFA News Daily focuses on the brand journeys of Specialty Food Association member companies who’ve grown from humble beginnings to achieve success in the specialty food world.
SFA News Daily recently spoke with Stonewall Kitchen's marketing director Matthew Robertson about the company's beginnings and how it's evolved over the years.
Tell me about your brand and how it came to be.
Stonewall Kitchen was founded in 1991 by Jonathan King and Jim Stott. They would work out of Jim’s family's summer cottage, spending endless hours cooking jam, hand-writing labels, and then selling them at the local farmers' market in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1995, we attended our first Fancy Food Show and received three Outstanding Product Line Honors. As the business grew, so too did our product offerings. Soon after that, we opened several of our Company Stores and launched our online business, which allowed us to introduce our brand to more people.
What dearth in the market were you trying to fill?
Our first ever product was our Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, which was inspired by Jim’s grandmother Pearl’s blueberry pie recipe. The goal was to create the smell of freshly baked pie filled with tasty, ripe blueberries. Today Wild Maine Blueberry Jam is still our most popular product.
What set(s) it apart?
Quality and innovation. We only source the finest ingredients from around the world, and we are constantly striving to expand our offerings with delicious flavor combinations. Sometimes that means staying on top of trends, other times we are ahead of the market with the products we launch. There’s also our craft-batch production. As we’ve grown and scaled, we have continued to craft individual batches to ensure quality and consistency so that you receive only our best in every bite. Although this step adds complexities to the process, we think the result is well worth it and our guests can taste the difference.
What was your dream for the brand back in the early days?
In the very beginning, Jim and Jon were just trying to make a few hundred dollars to pay their rent, As popularity grew, more and more people began recognizing the brand, which inspired them to test new recipes and create new products. They genuinely just loved the process and the joy that each jar of jam created.
When did you realize the brand had made it?
The first SFA award was certainly a milestone. It’s the best platform to measure your brand and products against others and the marketplace. So, being recognized there for the first time was a great sign and motivated them to keep going. Today we have over 30 SFA awards.
How has the brand evolved?
The business has evolved in many ways, but I’d say the biggest evolution was when we became a platform company. In 2018 we acquired our first brand, Tillen Farms. Today we have 9 brands in our family, with thousands of products across dozens of categories.