We recently connected with Andriana Stavrakis and have shared our conversation below.

Andriana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Growing up some of my fondest and most cherished memories were baking in the kitchen with my mother and grandmothers. Not only did they share with me recipes that were passed down multiple generations, but they also taught me the importance of patience and putting your heart into what you make. A quality product cannot be rushed and must be made with only the best ingredients. To this day my interest in baking has not faded.

While our world faced the early stages of the pandemic COVID-19, I spent a lot more time in quarantine with my family. As means to destress from the uncertainty and devastation, I found myself baking very often and in the midst of it all my gourmet fruit butter recipes manifested. I wanted to create a business of proof that despite the darkness that may linger around us, there is light within us, and there’s always hope.

And so, Butter than Jam was founded. We combine real fruit and all natural ingredients for a quality, gourmet fruit butter experience. Butter than Jam believes in providing healthier choices without sacrificing the flavor. Our products are vegan, dairy free, pectin free and preservative free. We pride ourselves in the smooth texture and versatility of our products which can be used in many different ways or simply eaten straight from the jar!

Andriana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Andriana Stavrakis and two of my greatest passions have always been teaching and baking. As a proud NYC educator of students with disabilities, I am able to contribute to the growth and success of students. I have learned many valuable management skills through my teaching experience which have enabled me to pursue my own gourmet fruit butter business. I am pleased to be part of the growing group of women-owned businesses bringing unique and creative ideas to the community which not only positively impact the economy but also help close the gender gap for a more equitable society. As a new mother, I hope to serve as an inspiration to my daughter in her future endeavors.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Pursuing a business career path was exciting but also intimidating due to the fact that I was completely ignorant to the process of becoming a food vendor for commercial purposes. However, my strong belief in my products and business idea is what led me to take a risk of pursuing my own business. Fruit butter is not a product many people are familiar with, including several of my own family members. Although people were skeptical of my business idea, I was not disheartened nor discouraged. Upon trying my product at family gatherings, their skepticism quickly dissipated. The positive feedback for my product was further reinforced by a wide range of customers at farmers markets and fairs/festivals across the NYC area.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

My gourmet fruit butter products manifested in my family home kitchen in Queens, NY as a home processor. Being that I didn’t have much experience in manufacturing food products, I spent a lot of my time researching to learn more about the process and what it would entail financially. Currently, I am actively working towards having my products manufactured for large-scale production in preparation for expansion of my business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: butterthanjam
• Other: Email: [email protected] Phone: 917-623-4499