Slow food firm Slow Jams adds 5 employees in first year

If you frequent high-end groceries and eateries, there is a decent chance you have seen the little jars of Slow Jams jelly. The Grosse Pointe-based slow food firm has gone from household project to emerging household name in Metro Detroit in its first year.

"We knew we could make a high-quality Michigan jam,"says Shannon Byrne, owner of Slow Jams. "We use Michigan ingredients and products, and it's all made in our state."

Slow Jams now employs five Michiganders to make its jams, along with a couple of interns. The newly licensed wholesale producer supplies its jams and jellies at marquee places, like Avalon International Breads, Mudgies Deli, and the kitchen at The Henry Ford. Its products are also in a number of local grocery stores and restaurants, and those numbers are growing as the company continues to gain traction in the slow food market.

"We want to keep that growth curve," Byrne says. "We're adding a couple of new stores each week."

Source: Shannon Byrne, owner of Slow Jams
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.