The Real Jam and Chutney Company run by the Minstead Trust has smashed its fundraising target to allow for expansion

A jam company run by a local charity that supports people with learning disabilities has smashed its fundraising target to allow the first steps to be taken in an urgent expansion.

The Real Jam & Chutney Company luanched a campaign earlier this year to raise £10,000 towards new equipment to enable the business to support more makers to build their skills, thereby reducing the waiting list of stockists.

Thanks to the generosity of the local community, the team managed to raise £11,796 in the space of just two weeks in September.

Sebastien Vigneron, manager of the Real Jam & Chutney Company, said: ‘We’ve been blown away by the response to this appeal. Thanks to this amazing support, we can start to expand the company and give more people with learning disabilities the opportunity to learn new skills and experience a work environment.”

The social enterprise - one of five run by the Minstead Trust - produces over 20 different award-winning jams, chutneys and marmalades, selling thousands of jars every year.

Others run by the trust include Furzey Gardens in Minstead and Hanger Farm arts centre in Totton.

Demand for Real Jam’s preserves has outgrown its current kitchen.

“Stockists are waiting, jars are flying off the shelves, and opportunities for more supported cooks to join the team are limited,” said a spokesperson.

“The Spread the Jam, Spread the Impact campaign, which ran until 30th September, aimed to raise vital funds for new equipment. This will help Real Jam to expand production, meet demand, and create space for more people with learning disabilities to gain valuable training and employment opportunities.

“Without the support of this fundraiser, Real Jam’s progress would have been slowed and its mission to show that inclusive businesses can thrive would have been under threat.”

Real Jam currently supports more than 30 people with learning disabilities each week to make preserves in its kitchen set in the picturesque grounds of Minstead Lodge in the New Forest. They are involved in every stage of the process, from creating the preserves to filling the jars and adding the labels.

Minstead Trust supports people with learning disabilities and autism across the south of England. Since 1986, the charity has been helping individuals build the skills and confidence to live independent lives.

Through supported living, day opportunities, employment services and inclusive enterprises, users of the charity “thrive on their own terms”.

Real Jam was founded by Stella and Paul Black in 2004 in a home kitchen, with the aim of bringing family recipes to life. With a shared passion for preserving the tastes of childhood, the pair lovingly crafted jams and chutneys that “captured the essence of tradition and the comfort of homemade goodness”.

In 2022, Real Jam joined the Minstead Trust’s mission as a social enterprise, using the skills built over the years to offer meaningful work experience.

“Together, we’re proving that every jar of jam or chutney can do more than delight your taste buds - it can also help change lives,” say the company.

To find out more about the Real Jam & Chutney Company, go to www.realjam.co.uk

For more informtation about the trust, visit www.minsteadtrust.org.uk