Meghan Markle likely made the 50 jars of jam she sent to friends 'with her own ... trends now
Meghan Markle distributed strawberry jam to her friends as a way of highlighting her new business venture by giving them a 'personal present' that she likely produced herself with ingredients sourced from Montecito, a branding expert revealed today.
The Duchess of Sussex sent friends a limited-edition jar ahead of the formal launch of her brand American Riviera Orchard (ARO) later this spring with a range of items.
Fashion designer Tracy Robbins and Argentine socialite Delfina Balquier posted on Instagram that they each received one of the jars, which PR expert Nick Ede said looked 'very home made with a stylish crest and almost handwritten brand name'.
Mrs Robbins and her husband Paramount boss Brian Robbins are friends with the Sussexes and invited them to the Bob Marley film premiere in Jamaica in January.
The couple are also friends with Ms Balquier, who is married to Prince Harry 's friend Nacho Figueras - with the four together at a charity polo match in Florida last Friday.
Mr Ede said the jam 'will have most likely have been sourced in Montecito and produced by hand by Meghan herself to make them feel special and thought of.'
He claimed her strategy was 'highlighting the brand rather than Meghan' as she tries to get people to 'buy into the ARO lifestyle not just her own personal brand'.
Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted a picture of the jam, which had the logo for American Riviera Orchard and 'Montecito' underneath. The label also had the words '17 of 50'
Showing the strawberry jam in a basket with lemons, Tracy Robbins added: 'Thank you, M!'
But Mr Ede added that the lack of information about Meghan's jam and no way to buy it yet 'could be frustrating to potential purchasers and fans who want to know more'.
The creation of individually numbered jars of jam sent to a selected group of influential people is exactly what I thought that Meghan would do.
The whole premise of her new brand American Riviera Orchard is to highlight the quality and origin of the locally sourced ingredients and how they have been lovingly made into jam.
As a way of getting the brand out there and in keeping with the home-made, straight from the home aesthetic that she has gone for it works really well.
She is filming a new cookery lifestyle show for Netflix which will show her making things that she loves and wants to share with viewers and fans.
It's not known how much the jam will cost and if it will even go into mass production but as a way of creating interest it's also highlighting the brand rather than Meghan, which will be her strategy.
She wants people to buy into the ARO lifestyle not just her own personal brand. The look and feel of it is very home made with a stylish crest and almost handwritten brand name to keep it feeling like it's a personal present.
The idea that she's only sent it to 50 people shows that the stock is limited and creates a demand too and interest. As a launch its low key but in keeping with their new softer, homely approach to their celebrity status and lifestyle.
Sending her product to influential people is a great way of getting the brand name out there. It allows Meghan to create a buzz on social media and also for fans to see a glimpse into the lifestyles of the people she has sent the jam too.
It also creates intrigue as to who has been lucky enough to receive the jam. I am sure Meghan will have thought long and hard as to who to send her first batch to. Individually numbering shows that the send out was limited edition but it does also make those who didn't get the jam feel left out perhaps too.
I think she will have sent to some of her friends, local neighbours, influential people in the lifestyle and cooking circles and people she feels will genuinely appreciate the gesture.
This is a unique way of launching, but it does feel similar to the look and feel of Flamingo Estate which has been one of the most successful brands to collaborate with talent like Jane Goodall and Julianne Moore.
There is one big difference in that all the celebrity owned brands, when they send out to people of influence to post on their social media, there is a call to action to purchase.
With ARO there is no functioning website just a holding page and an email registration which means that people who want to know more have no other information and I think that this could be frustrating to potential purchasers and fans who want to know more.
Meghan is a very authentic person and the whole premise of ARO is authenticity and local.
So I think that the small batch of strawberry jam will have most likely have been sourced in Montecito and produced by hand by Meghan herself to make them feel special and thought of.
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This is the latest launch amid a trend of celebrities shifting their own food products - with Julianne Moore , Will Ferrell and LeBron James among those selling honey from their own gardens through the Flamingo Estate brand for up to $250 (£200) per jar.
Meghan could have found inspiration from her father-in-law King Charles III who began selling products such as jam from the Duchy of Cornwall estate in the 1990s.
Prince William took on the Duchy estate after Queen Elizabeth II 's death in 2022, and Duchy organic strawberry jam is on sale at Waitrose for £2.80 per jar - with sales from the full range helping raise £30million for the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.
Speaking about the launch today, Mr Ede told MailOnline: 'The creation of individually numbered jars of jam sent to a selected group of influential people is exactly what I thought that Meghan would do.
'The whole premise of her new brand American Riviera Orchard is to highlight the quality and origin of the locally sourced ingredients and how they have been lovingly made into jam.
'As a way of getting the brand out there and in keeping with the home-made, straight from the home aesthetic that she has gone for it works really well.'
Mr Ede also pointed out that Meghan was 'filming a new cookery lifestyle show for Netflix which will show her making things that she loves and wants to share with viewers and fans'.
He continued: 'It's not known how much the jam will cost and if it will even go into mass production but as a way of creating interest it's also highlighting the brand rather than Meghan, which will be her strategy.
'She wants people to buy into the ARO lifestyle not just her own personal brand. The look and feel of it is very home made with a stylish crest and almost handwritten brand name to keep it feeling like it's a personal present.
'The idea that she's only sent it to 50 people shows that the stock is limited and creates a demand too and interest. As a launch its low key but in keeping with their new softer, homely approach to their celebrity status and lifestyle.'
Mrs Robbins posted a picture of Meghan's jam, which had the American Riviera Orchard logo and 'Montecito' underneath - the celebrity enclave in California where Harry and Meghan live in a £12million home. The label also had the words '17 of 50'.
The photo on Mrs Robbins's Instagram Stories showed the jam in her hand, and she said: '@AmericanRivieraOrchard Breakfast, lunch and dinner just got a little sweeter.'
Showing it in a basket with lemons, Mrs Robbins added: 'Thank you for the delicious basket! I absolutely love this jam so not sure I'm sharing with anyone. @American RivieraOrchard Thank you, M! #MontecitoGoodness #AmericanRivieraOrchard.'
Ms Balquier posted a similar picture on her Stories, saying: 'Strawberry jam makes me happy. And I love your jam, @AmericanRivieraOrchard.' Her label said: '10 of 50.'
The post also showed some of the jam spread on a piece of bread.
Mr Ede also spoke about who else might have been sent the jam, and why she was using friends and influencers to help with the launch.
He said: 'Sending her product to influential people is a great way of getting the brand name out there. It allows Meghan to create a buzz on social media and also for fans to see a glimpse into the lifestyles of the people she has sent the jam too.
'It also creates intrigue as to who has been lucky enough to receive the jam. I am sure Meghan will have thought
