Unique Gift Reserve

We have been making delicious products in Hollister (San Benito County), California, since 1983. We like to use only the freshest fruits possible. We personally visit the growers and select the best ingredients available. Many of the fruits are grown on our property, so we have the luxury of waiting until the perfect moment to pick them. All our jam, jelly, butters, and relishes are made in small batches to achieve optimum flavors. We never use questionable chemicals, non-food additives, or unnecessary fillers. We never use an apple base with fruit such as mint, pineapple, quince, etc. All products are made only with the fruit advertised on the label.

Carol McCarey, the owner and head chef, has been canning all her life. She has been featured in newspaper articles about the subject and has appeared on local NBC-TV giving canning tips. Carol also is a graduate of an accelerated chef program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Carol has developed recipes over the years that optimize the flavors. Our products are "handmade" in very small batches to capture the essence of the fruit. While the individual recipes remain top secret, we are happy to guide others in making a quality product. Actually, the Sure-Jell website has many fine recipes. Just be sure to follow the instructions to the letter.

Prior to going into commercial jam making, Carol's products won a boatload of blue ribbons at the San Benito County Fair and at the California State Fair. She often won Best-in-Show against state-wide competition. Her Brandied Cherries, Lemon Marmalade, and Mint Jelly were perennial State champions. Carol has also entered professional divisions at the fair and continuously took first place and Best-in-Show with her jam and jelly entries.

We love to get compliments from customers who send great letters telling us how much they enjoyed the products. We try as hard as possible to please you. We've received envelopes from satisfied customers with just our labels in them with notes on the back telling us how much they enjoyed the product. One time we had a couple of quality control inspectors from a large jam and jelly company (think TV ads) buy our jam and jelly. They said our jams were so much better than anything at their plant! We have also heard from happy customers all across the US, in Mainz, Germany, and the outback of Australia. So we will keep doing what we are doing. Thanks for visiting this site!

Safety & Health Note: We operate under a Processed Foods Registration from the California State FDA and our commercial kitchen, processes, and labels are routinely inspected and approved by the California Public Health FDA Department. Everything is prepped, produced, sealed, and labeled under state and federal food laws. Ask to see our PFR permit to operate (and stay away from any food company that does not have one). The biggest expenses we incur each year are keeping our dedicated cooking equipment and processes up to code, in addition to completing state-required food safety education. These expenses heavily drive the prices we have to charge.