Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Woods.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was younger, I always wanted to own my business/restaurant, which led me to being in the hospitality industry for the last seven years. I’ve worked in many different restaurants furthering my knowledge and love of food. Once the pandemic hit, I had much more time on my hands to find a way to branch off on my own.
During the holiday season, Danielle (my fiance) and I wanted to send out homemade gifts for Christmas, we decided on apple butter and jam. At the time, I was taking sommelier classes and the idea for a wine jam came to life. I made a batch of blueberry merlot jam to send out to the family, and the feedback was overwhelming. From that point on I could not stop thinking of new flavors and ideas, which led to me starting Jammin’ Wines LLC. It has been a process to get to this point, and I’m thankful that I have made it this far.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not everything is easy when starting a business, especially one that deals with making food products. Creating my own recipes was a hard enough starting point since I had never even made jam before. This was a completely new experience for me, and spending money on it was a scary thought. Extremely late nights became the norm, making batch after batch trying to get things right. I don’t know how many batches did not turn out properly. There were also many nights after work that I spent hours trying to find jars and other materials, only for everything to be sold out. And when trying to stay eco-conscious, sourcing sustainable materials is even harder and more expensive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Jammin’ Wines is a small business that is just getting started. We make jams & jellies, with wine being the main ingredient in most of the flavors. Wine is something that is used in many ways, yet I still wanted to do something unique, which is what led us here. The original thought for our spreads was to pair them with cheese/charcuterie, giving you the flavors of wine without actually drinking. We have come to realize that they are much more versatile than that, with the ability to be used with different foods throughout the entire day. We make an array of flavors using red wine, white wine, champagnes, and fresh fruit. All of our jellies are made in small batches by us in a professional kitchen. Yes, there is a lot of competition when it comes to jam/jelly, but we have not found others doing what we are with wine. Even though we use wine, we still want to be family-friendly, so throughout the cooking process, we cook out the alcohol, making it safe for kids.
We also make custom labels and painted boxes for wedding favors and party favors. We have also won 10 awards at the 2021 Osceola County fair. This is something that I love doing, and I just hope others enjoy the jam/jellies as much as I enjoy making them.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Having the unmatched imagination of a child and running around outside playing and pretending to be a power ranger.
Pricing:
- $7 a jar online
- Code Grand opening – 25% off
Contact Info:
- Email: jamminwines@gmail.com
- Website: www.jamminwines.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamminwines
