In The Beginning
Burrowes Jam originated from a small cottage industry begun by the Sadler Family in Waimate in the 1980s, using surplus fruit from their berry fruit organisation.
They expanded into other areas in Canterbury selling jam to various outlets including the Rakaia Food Store which was owned by the Burrowes Family, who also owned a fifty acre farm growing gooseberries, blue berries, apples, nectarines and raspberries.
Roger and Rayleen Burrowes then bought the Waimate business and set up a small factory in a purpose-built building on their farm, where they cooked the jam. The business outgrew this building and Roger and Rayleen built a new, modern factory in the township of Rakaia, not far form their farm.
As the business continued to grow they were no longer able to grow their own fruit, and now fruit is procured from Nelson in the North of the South Island, to Outram in the deep South, Central Otago and from local fruit growers in Canterbury.
The jam produced then and to this day is made from home-made recipes which produce a wonderful, full flavour jam. The jam is cooked immediately from its frozen state which maintains the lovely rich colour that has great eye appeal. The only additives are sugar, pectin to help the jam set, and a small amount of citric acid, adding a "zing" to the jam which softens the overriding sweetness.
Along the way - Fundraising Jam
In 1993 Roger and Rayleen came up with an idea, which grew from their own experiences in trying to raise money for the various events and trips that their children were involved in.
Their idea was to produce a Fund Raising Jam in a larger jar which the children could on-sell and make money to help fund their ventures. This worked well and after moving to their new factory in Rakaia, the fund-raising orders exploded in volume literally by word of mouth and repeat orders.
The Present
In the year 2000, JO Moody Ltd bought Burrowes Jam from the Burrowes and continued to manufacture jam in the traditional way to the same recipes. At the end of 2005 Gramart Foods Ltd purchased Burrowes Jam from JO Moody Ltd and continues to use the tradtional full fruit flavoured recipes that have made Burrowes Jam one of the most popular jams in the South Island.
Today Burrowes Jam continues to sell 400gm retail units, the 1.25kg fund raising jars and bulk packs of varying sizes.
