We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melanie May. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melanie below.

Melanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

Super Sonic Spreads, formerly known as That’s My Jam, (Jams & Jellies inspired by music) faced a tremendous problem over the 2020 holiday season and it had nothing to do with the pandemic, also known as the “pan-dammit” around here.

While the “pan-dammit” served up it’s own course of bitter challenges, the 2020 holiday season was proving to be one of the best yet for our little artisan jam business. We were expanding Nationally at a rate we could barely keep up with. In the midst of the frenzied orders, supply chain issues, & shipping delays caused by an unprecedented influx of online shoppers, we were served a cease and desist.

We had recently finally submitted our trademark application to the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office). Apparently someone else had submitted for the TM around the same time. It was overwhelming to have to deal with the issue while in the midst of the holiday rush, but we were fortunate to negotiate a pause on the cease and desist until the end of the year, when we could put efforts into fighting for our business name – That’s My Jam – the one we had for the previous 5 years.

Unfortunately, despite being first to market we were battling a multi million dollar powerhouse mysterious entity and lost. So in 2021, we launched a new business name – Super Sonic Spreads- some new flavors, new packaging and kept on jammin.

In many ways our year 6 in business has been much like year 1. Re-branding and re-educating the public when without deep pockets is tough, but we are gradually getting back around to the flow of business we once had.

Lesson learned: File for your trademark or patent early on in the process. We kept putting it off, thinking we would eventually get to it. Suffice it to say, Super Sonic Spreads is now successfully trademarked nd ours.

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 back background and context?

Super Sonic Spreads was born from a passion of music, quality food and fun.

We encourage people to play with their food. Listen to music in the kitchen. Enjoy the process of creating something unique.

Our jams & jellies are made with real ingredients: no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no high fructose corn syrup. Just simply delicious, made with reduced sugar, where the fruit takes center stage. Some are made with a splash of alcohol for a fun flavor profile. Honestly, we just like experimenting and have discovered some pretty odd flavor pairings that taste incredible.

Banana Pancakes, for example, is our Best Seller. It is Banana Jam infused with Whiskey & Butterscotch Schnapps for a pancake-y flavor that is “to die for” as we have been told. Inspired by Jack Johnson’s song of the same title, this jam is great for dolloping on oatmeal, spreading on a bagel, or even as a unique sandwich spread.

In 2021 we launched Keto friendly, NO sugar added options made with Monk Fruit, also known as Luo Han Guo. It’s grown in Southeast Asia and initially used by Buddhist monks in the 13th Century. It has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for decades, but is making it’s way in the mainstream regarding wellness in the United States. What we love about using the Monk Fruit in some of our options is that these jams are fantastic for those watching their sugar intake closely, are diabetic, or just want a healthy jam option. And it has no weird aftertaste, like artificial sweeteners.

Right now our Strawberry Fields Forever and I Found My Thrill Blueberry Jam are our No Sugar Added options. We are constantly testing new flavors to see what works and what doesn’t work well with Monk Fruit. It can be tricky to work with, but we are proud of what we have offered so far and find ourselves digging into our personal jam stash often.

Just recently we have partnered with other small artisan businesses around the country to offer some new product lines: from savory & spicy sauces, seasonings to greeting cards & music related stickers. If you haven’t visited our website recently, you will find a growing litany of new products that we are proud to feature, like BBQ sauce, Bacon Jam, Hot Sauces, Cocktail Kits, Syrups and more. All owned by small businesses like ours and made in the USA.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

This business was launched during a particularly tough time in my life. I found myself under-employed as the work I was doing was fairly seasonal. A rough patch hit over the off-season and I had a sense of bitterness and resentment over various circumstances that led me to where I was. A single mom, I found myself staying in a friend’s spare room and knew I had to make a drastic change.

I was fortunate that my seasonal job and hobbies surrounded me with creatives; folks in the music industry & hundreds of other small artisan businesses and I observed what they were doing, how they were doing it, why they were doing it. I was relentless in my questions and became close to several people with the same mindset I had. The mindset of independence, resiliency, entrepreneurship and a passion behind their chosen business. I was deeply entrenched in the artisan pop-up market scene and realized there was a need to disrupt the jam market. The offerings were slim at the time for artisan jams & jellies so I decided to give it a go.

The concept of infusing booze and incorporating music (yes we jam out during production) came to me in a dream. I woke up, wrote down the business name, the tag line and the first recipe in the middle of the night. The next day, I woke up and began researching how to fund this adventure.

I came across an incredible non-profit organization called Rocky Mountain Micro Finance Institute. What was most appealing about this organization is that they provide guidance and resources for various marginalized individuals with a viable business idea in Colorado. They have a rigorous screening process and require a 12 week business boot camp. Dedication is key. Upon successful completion, they provide a loan for you to launch. This was how I funded my launch.

This organization was a gift for me; given the circumstances I was in and now every Colorado Gives Day, this non profit is where I donate.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

Marketing is a fun, complicated and ever evolving piece to owning a business. Many people get overwhelmed by this topic, but I have fully embraced it. In fact, the jam business is my side business and my full time career is in Marketing. Therefore, I have a unique interest in taking various marketing risks, if for nothing else, but research.

My favorite Marketing Risk was offering to make custom jams for weddings etc. The reason this is a risk is because of the time and investment involved in testing flavors that people want to combine (not everyone has good ideas), in creating and sourcing the unique labels and in having extra product that you can’t really sell.

However, some of the most fun interactions I have had with customers have been during their customization process. We’ve created a series of Rolling Stones jams for a very special father, mini jams for a couple of weddings that include the couple’s song and inspirational jams for a team of Doctors that saved a loved one’s life.

We don’t advertise too often that we can do custom orders, because it’s not a process that has quick turnaround time. With enough planning, however, we are happy to discuss customization with anyone interested.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SuperSonicSpreads.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supersonicspreads/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supersonicspreads
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-king-45456a2a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thatsmyjamyo1
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Photos by Soona