SPJC

Australia’s South Pacific Jam Company (SPJC) is aiming to make banana the new strawberry with a range of exotic fruit jams.

The new Banana Jam, Mango & Ginger Jam and Guava & Pineapple Jam are made using home-grown fruits with crafted blends of Australian unrefined raw sugar, coconut oil and coconut sugar, meaning up to 40 per cent less sugar than other jam and spreads.

“Australia has an abundance of tree fruits but culturally we’ve been stuck in a loop of runner fruits. Until now, we have overlooked stunning flavour profiles such as banana. “We want children to grow up loving jam without any downsides and for households to get creative with distinctly Australian flavours,” founder Catherine Stace said.

The SPJC product range aims to be an attractive proposition to the food service sector who have, or are considering, a bespoke, curated retail offering for products they use.

“In a tough and competitive industry, the food service sector is re-purposing their space into bespoke retail offerings, selling curated products that yield a healthy margin and espouse the values and aspirational lifestyle of their customers,” Stace said.

Lindi Glass from Sharper Marketing said that there is confidence at the higher end of the market, for ‘top shelf’ spreads. “Why would a consumer use an inferior jam or spread when they’ve just spent $10 on a loaf of artisan bread?” Glass said. “There’s a lot of shelf space dedicated to jams made with refined sugar and imported fruits, contributing to a stagnant market that’s ripe for innovative new entries.”

The SPJC brand was created by school friends Catherine Stace and Susie Cameron to recreate the banana jam Susie’s mum made when they were growing up. In May 2017, the original recipe was deconstructed to reduce sugar and make it wholesome and rich, resulting in a coconut-set jam product range.

The range comes in 1.3L commercial tubs and 300ml, 250ml and 40ml jars for retail and food service. RRP is $12.70 (250ml) per jar and $16 (300ml). SPJC will be stocked in quality retail grocery and health stores and food service venues.