Family is at the heart of Mel’s Sticky Jam
Published:Sunday | March 23, 2025 | 9:56 PMOmar Tomlinson/Contributor
This Lenten season, Melissa Tavares-Wilson is hitching a ride on the meat-skipping bandwagon.
“I’ve decided to abstain from meat and stick to fish and plant-based protein during the season,” divulges the founder and managing director of the all-natural fruit condiment business line Mel’s Sticky Jam to Food in a Tuesday morning sit-down at her St Andrew abode.
With routine school drop-offs of son Mason and daughter Paisley already done, Tavares-Wilson has returned home, to whip up a seafood-focused menu that incorporates varieties of her bottled jams.
What’s cooking? There’s fried sprat drizzled with Mel’s mango Scotch bonnet jam, pineapple ginger jam glazed snapper filet, and dessert – vanilla cheesecake scones.
“I’ve always been passionate about cooking and baking for friends and family. I guess you could say it’s my love language,” she shares while sorting through freshly bought ingredients on the kitchen countertop to prepare the dishes.
Mel’s Sticky Jam got its start during the COVID pandemic, Tavares-Wilson says “when I had more time on my hands and started making jams for friends and family for different holidays as gifts”.
“Eventually they convinced me that I needed to start selling them, so I posted a strawberry jam I made with Blue Mountain strawberries on Facebook Marketplace. They sold quickly and I realised there is a demand for this type of product.”
The homemaker-turned-intrepid-businesswoman continued selling on Facebook for a couple of months, and then decided to register the business in 2020.
“I reached out to some local retailers to gauge interest, and they agreed to start selling my jams,” she recalled. “The first two retailers to take a chance on my product were Uncorked and CPJ Market. Due to COVID and the uncertainty at the time with imported goods, there was a renewed interest in local artisanal products, and we were ready to capitalise on it.”
Today, the four-year-old Mel’s Sticky Jam has exponentially expanded. It now retails in over 30 locations, including Fontana Pharmacy, Craft Cottage, the Jamaica Food and Drink Kitchen, My Jamaica Store and online at caribshopper.com.
Included in the range of eight flavours on store shelves are jackfruit and rosemary, papaya lime, Otaheite apple, sorrel gingerbread, rosemary pepper jelly, and strawberry.
Apron firmly tied in place, Tavares-Wilson is seasoning cuts of snapper fillet with paprika, garlic cloves, thyme and sea salt.
Pitching what makes Mel’s jams a good accompaniment to enhance savoury and sweet food items, she says specific flavours work best in a respective food category.
A GREAT BALANCE OF FLAVOUR
“The mango Scotch bonnet offers the perfect sweet heat flavour to balance with a sharp cheese so it does great on a cheese board. The pepper jelly and the jackfruit rosemary also offer a great balance of flavours when having a savoury dish. They are great for entertaining or topped on a burger or a wrap.”
Turning to the sweet accompaniments, she notes that “the jams do well with baked goods because they offer a rich and warm flavour, which complements them well.”
“I have done jelly-filled doughnuts with the sorrel gingerbread jam, jam thumbprint cookies with the Otaheite apple or strawberry, and also our infamous scones accompanied with the jam. The scones were a hit actually. [It’s] one of the best pairings, along with buttermilk biscuits, that I make fresh for special orders.”
As full-throttle spirited as the Wilson household – comprising music producer hubby Steve and Mason and Paisley – are, she would want it no other way as they keep her anchored in the juggling acts of motherhood, marriage and work.
“Well it’s not easy, I will say that. You have to be able to multitask and plan ahead. Also, having help has allowed me to be able to have the time to dedicate to this business. Our housekeeper Camille is a Godsend and I’m forever grateful for her. My assistant Lamhede and last but not least, Steve also plays a crucial role in sharing the load. It’s not a one-woman show. It’s all hands on deck. The kids and family are at the forefront of everything that I do and the reason why I started Mel’s Sticky Jams in the first place.”
Tavares-Wilson says the family functions as taste testers for new flavours, and are integrated into the operational side of the business, whenever possible.
“My hubby is a foodie so he’s always willing to try a new flavour and offer his critique and since he’s travelled to over 120 countries I take his advice very seriously. The kids are also great at tasting out the sweeter options and giving me ideas of what to pair them with. They help me at pop-up fairs and are also featured on my social media. I like to involve them as much as I can. I grew up in a family business and so I know how important it is for a kid to see how a business works from the ground up. In addition, it’s a great example for my daughter to see her mom not just as a mother but also as the CEO of her own business. They are my number-one cheerleaders!”
As for what’s ahead, she reveals intentions to maximise on opportunities and shift from a home base to factory space.
“We are now working on expanding production to be able to meet the growing local demand and also tap into the global market,” she says.”We plan to set up a new facility which will allow us to increase volume and also maintain quality control that will meet international standards for export.”