We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Rouse a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I went to culinary school in 2005 and worked in restaurants and hotels after I graduated. I’ve always cooked a ton at home and even used to have a blog called ‘I Speak Kitchenese.’ Part of that was canning items – squash, green beans, jams, mustards – as I’m a big fan of home preserving and also love condiments. I started making jams and giving them to friends and family and I just absolutely adored it and knew I wanted to sell them one day. During my years in Charlotte, North Carolina, I lived in this awesome tiny apartment on Trade Street. I came up with this fun idea to start a jam company called Trade Street Jam Company in 2008. I wrote that down and didn’t come back to it until living in Brooklyn in 2016. That’s when I really started jamming and Trade Street officially took off!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Sure! Trade Street Jam Co. is a chef, woman and minority-owned and certified business that started in a tiny apartment in North Carolina on Trade Street. My passion for all things food grew into something more: a company built on the foundation of culinary innovation. I strive to share my 15+ years of culinary knowledge in the form of a small batch jar that can be used in cocktails, salad dressings, BBQ sauces, marinades, pan sauces and more. I believe that cooking should be fun and reflective of the person at hand, but what it shouldn’t be, is complicated.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

My company keeps in touch with customers through a regular newsletter. Also, social media is big for us. We love sharing behind the scenes videos and recipes using jam to our Instagram and TikTok pages.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Entrepreneurship is hard, but actually digging in and staying positive and persistent is a whole other thing. One thing that definitely helps is taking a ‘big picture’ mentality. This is not a sprint for me; it’s a marathon. When things get tough, I remember that building and growing a successful Black-owned business is bigger than me because it’s not just about me – it’s about the culture, it’s about my daughters. I try to take everything one day at a time, and step back every now and then to look at all I’ve been blessed to accomplish.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tradestjamco.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tradestjamco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tradestjamco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trade-street-jam-co