G’s Jam is a family run, multi-award winning jam-making business operating out of Abbeyleix, Ireland. The extraordinary thing about Helen Gee’s jams is the fact that they are all made in the good old-fashioned way – an open pot, a big wooden spoon and plenty of elbow grease! Only the very best quality fruit and natural ingredients are used with no artificial colouring or preservatives. This, of course, is what gives the products their very distinctive taste – real homemade jam.
Fruit is locally grown and the range includes blackberry and apple, strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, gooseberry, rhubarb and ginger and plum. There’s also a range of chutneys and relishes that includes cranberry and port, lemon mint jelly, red currant jelly, hot red pepper relish, autumn chutney, lemon curd and brandy butter.
Moving with the Times!
G’s Gourmet Jams has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Helen’s kitchen in 1999 and it doesn’t look like things will be slowing down anytime soon! The jams and relishes are now stocked in top hotels throughout Ireland such as the 5 star K-Club and The Shelbourne Hotel. They have also seen a surge in overseas business with products stocked in Harrods, London and also further afield with new partners in the USA. When we visited Helen recently there was a party of business men from Korea that were interested in her jams for the food court in one of their country’s top luxury department stores! Although Helen is a driving force in the business, she remains good humoured and down to earth and this is apparent as she casually moves open jam jars and brushes away the cracker crumbs from the table from the Koreans tasting in order for us to take her photo.
We are also there to talk business, Helen needs some new label designs and although clearly busy, she still finds the time after our meeting to show us around the expanded factory. She shows us the
older part with the tiny kitchen where it all began and into the newer, bigger bottling and labelling area. The best part however, is the beautiful aromas as we pass the large pots where the jams are made in the traditional way to original recipes.
The business is very much a family run business and on our tour we get introduced to 3rd generation Gee’s. The team have grown the business into a multi-award winning company with a long list of awards including several Bridgestone Awards and Great Taste Awards.
G’s Jams & Label Tech
Several years ago, as the business grew and the products were being stocked in more and more places, it was clear that investment was needed in upgrading the Labels. Helen understood the need for a top quality label on her product to match the superior quality of the product itself. Label Tech worked closely with Helen to develop the labels and ensure that we met her unfaltering high standards. Over the years G’s Gourmet Jams has built a solid working relationship with several departments within Label Tech. Being very hands-on, which we welcome, means Helen is a familiar face in our in-house Design Studio where she can work directly with our designers to develop labels for new ranges.
Label Tech is delighted to be part of Helen’s journey in building the business up to become one of the country’s top class jam producers.