Mom Peggy Dillon (your author and editor) and daughter Natalie Lopes were already making family and friends smile with their delicious, sweet and savory jams, when we heard about the new Cottage Food Law a couple of years ago. Natalie was a recent culinary school grad and chocolatier, and I had spent years doing marketing in the local ag sector and knew a lot about the amazing fruit and farmers here in Santa Cruz. (We are also excited to welcome Natalie's fiance and local chef Peter Henry to the team, as well.) So we took the leap, creating fun flavor combinations for jams and mustards, which can now be found in lots of retail locations in our county. And we've become quite a hit at summer fairs and wine festivals, and holiday events, with regular customers telling us they've come to the event just to stock up on our stuff! We use fruit from local and organic farmers and even souce our jars locally. When someone tastes our stuff, and a grin lights up their entire face, we get a case of the warm fuzzies, knowing all those hot summer days spent over giant pots of boiling fruit were well worth it.