Bottling sweet stuff isn't money for jam

It's a hot, sticky, sweaty mess making jam in the searing December heat. Plums were imported from the fruit-laden branches of our neighbours' large tree that hang over the boundary wall into our garden.

Efficiency was not helped by the interruption of operations by a small child who claimed to have broken a nose during bedtime high jinks. After sympathy had been dispensed and child resumed high jinks with no broken nose, I spent an hour stirring continuously.

It tastes fabulous. But output was appalling - two small jars and one large - after an hour and a half's labour. I was considering Sam's Jams as my brand, but reckon I should stick to my day job and leave jam to the experts.

In South Africa, jam making is a big industry, valued at about R1.8-billion. And if the links with glass-bottle and can manufacturers (most jam is sold in tins), as well as fruit farmers, are factored in, that simple tin of jam has quite an impact.

Rhodes Food is the largest producer of jam in the country, with a steadily rising market share that now stands at 46%. In terms of brand share, it is No2 in all jams, and first in jam in glass jars - a market giving it exposure to more resilient, higher-end consumers.

Big-name jam makers also include Tiger Brands, with its All Gold brand, and then there are house brands sold by major retailers, niche jam makers (think food markets), and, of course, home industry.

According to the PureJam.com website, this sweet spread has a long history, with the cookbook Culinary Matters, dating back to 1st-century Rome, containing recipes for jam. It was part of what people in the Middle East ate, as there was an abundance of sugar growing naturally.

Once it was known that vitamin C prevented scurvy (which could lead to death from infection or bleeding), jam became a staple on ships. Between 1500 and 1800, it is estimated that scurvy killed at least two million sailors, according to Wikipedia. But by preserving fruit as jam they could get the vitamin C they needed during long voyages, as did many others living in cold climates.

Apparently, marmalade (made from the peels and juice of citrus fruit) was first made in the 16th century, when Mary Queen of Scots's doctor mixed orange and sugar to help with her seasickness. And also to treat her when she was ill, which is where the name comes from: "Mary" and "malady" combined into the word marmalade. Or so I am told.

Tiger Brands said All Gold products such as tomato sauce and jam graced the table of King George VI, the future Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret when they visited South Africa in 1947.

But for many South Africans, jam is fondly remembered as an in between for a lunchbox staple: a jam sandwich. Jam on hot, buttered toast is still one of the best treats on a cold winter night.

But the market is crowded with tinned jams, with not much to set them apart. So, to maintain or grow market share, manufacturers can't hike prices too sharply and too fast.

The drought had affected fruit growing, pushing up costs and limiting volumes, Rhodes said. Even with price hikes in electricity, packaging, labour and sugar, manufacturers need to keep customers coming back for more, and so need to keep prices stable by improving efficiencies and offering new products. Rhodes has introduced jam in plastic cups, and resealable plastic lids for canned jam.

One potential risk for jam makers is the proposed sugar tax. The plan is to levy a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. But if you factor in how much sugar goes into other products, the National Treasury may well have its eye on other food categories. For the 1.5kg of plums I used, I added the equivalent amount of sugar. It is a major input.

Today, I will enjoy my jam at a festive family tea, having exported one-third of my immense production to the neighbours as payment in kind for their plums. The jury is out on whether it was fair trade.

enslins@sundaytimes.co.za

• Enslin-Payne is deputy editor of Business Times