Bougie Columbia-made jam makes it ‘hard to go back to Smucker’s.’ Now it’s hit the big stage
Every Sunday, Jessica Henry can be found peering into a huge pot, stirring a batch of slowly congealing fruit.
While Henry stirs, Reshma Mahadkar washes dishes or helps move jars, occasionally pulling an almost empty pan or a fresh piece of fruit to use in an Instagram photo shoot at City Grit Market’s shop in downtown Columbia.
The entrepreneurs and friends borrow the market’s kitchen three days a week to make jars of their artisanal jam, Sakhar. But City Grit is just one of the company’s work spaces, which also include a “warehouse” in Henry’s dining room and a delivery system using Mahadkar’s white SUV.
Henry and Mahadkar do everything for the business, from making jam to picking fruit to marketing on social media, all while still making their kids’ dinner.
But now the small business owners have taken their first step beyond South Carolina, being featured on the shelves of Pop Up Grocer, a traveling grocery store that currently has a brick-and-mortar location in New York City, until August.
Sakhar is the first jam featured in the store and the only South Carolina product currently on shelves. Henry and Mahadkar hope the partnership will help bring attention to their jam and shine a light on the possibilities of South Carolina business and agriculture.
The two friends started Sakhar in 2020 when Henry’s recent divorce and the ongoing pandemic left both women looking for something more. Instead of throwing out a bottle of alcohol, Mahadkar made it into a spirited jam and soon partnered with Henry, who lives down the street from her, to begin selling the product.
“When we first started doing this, it was just so Jess and I could have financial stability,” Mahadkar said. “To show our children that grit and perseverance ... and determination can make a difference in something that you want to create”
Until now, Mahadkar and Henry mostly sold the jam online, “dropping” new flavors every few months and delivering the product to people in the area. They have jam available a few Columbia spots like Azalea Coffee and the storefront at City Grit.
However, for the business owners and long-time customers such as Melanie McGehee, Sakhar’s placement in Pop Up Grocer is a important step to putting South Carolina products on the map.
“I feel like our state is known for a lot of not-so-good things,” McGehee said. “So to see something that you’re really proud of ... not only is it made from things that were actually grown here, and then it’s put together and cooked by women who are here.”
Mahadkar grew up in India, which helped inspire Sakhar’s name and many of its flavors, but she said she has planted her roots in Columbia.
“I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything besides Columbia. So for me, it’s just the life that I live here. I want to give back into our community, and how can I do that in a way that’s supportive of everyone around?” Mahadkar said. “That’s through bougie jam, believe it or not.”
Henry and Mahadkar pride themselves on Sakhar jam being authentic. The partners only use South Carolina fruit and smash everything by hand, which leaves the jams thick and chunky. Mahadkar said customers often comment that the product reminds them of fresh backyard fruit and their grandma’s preserves.
McGehee said she recommends the jam to all of her friends and often gives it as a gift.
“When you taste this, you’re gonna really, really love it” McGehee said. “It will be hard to go back to Smucker’s.”
McGehee said she often eats the jam by the spoonful or with fancy bread and cheese and even uses it as a special addition to a grilled cheese sandwich. Henry and Mahadkar said they add jam to granola or use it as a filling for vanilla cupcakes and have also heard of customers using it as a glaze for meats.
South Carolina produces fruit every month of the year, and Mahadkar and Henry use most of them, rotating flavors based on what fruits are in season to ensure that their jams stay fresh and innovative.
The business regularly offers flavors such as drunken blueberry, peach apricot and strawberry masala chai in addition to a rotation of exclusive “black label” flavors that are offered for a limited time. Sakhar most recently sold a peach habanero flavor, featuring habaneros from Mahadkar’s parents’ garden, and peach blackberry jam.
“The goal of it was to be able to utilize every single fruit that South Carolina has,” Mahadkar said. “Truly, because it would be foolish not to have a jam business in South Carolina.”
Mahadkar and Henry also personally drive to farms to pick fruits from across the state. They get lavender from Anderson, honey from West Columbia and raspberries from York County.
The pair said they purposefully visit farms and partner with organizations like GrowFood Carolina so they can support South Carolina farmers.
“South Carolina is my state,” Henry said. “So if I can support the agriculture here and support the economy here, that’s only going to make my life and my kids’ lives better.”
The entrepreneurs said their success so far is linked to Columbia and the community that has supported them.
“We’re very fortunate that we have really great people that get our jam,” Henry said. “They also really believe in what we’re doing and really want us to succeed, so it’s a pretty great feeling to know you’ve got that kind of support in the community.”
However, Henry said what really helps the business stay strong is her and Mahadkar’s friendship within and outside of the business.
“I often wonder how people run a business together that don’t have as good of a friendship as we do,” Henry said.
While they’ve encountered many fights and challenges, Henry said she is proud of how far they have come.
“In 2020 I was in the middle of a divorce, and it was a very hard time,” Henry said. “Just to tell myself, like, you have the strength within yourself that you can be successful and find your own space in this world.”
For Mahadkar, Sakhar is the manifestation of a hope she’s had since her childhood in India.
“You know, you’re talking about growing up in one room in Mumbai, barely having food to eat, so fruits is where I went,” Mahadkar said. “If I were to go back even a little bit further than that and say, ‘Oh, you’re going to own a food-based business because of your childhood. Your dreams are going to come true. Your dreams are going to come true.’”
In the future, Mahadkar sees Sakhar in businesses across South Carolina and throughout the Southeast.
“I do see Sakhar in lots of other national spaces,” Mahadkar said, “with South Carolina produce shining bright, front and center.”
