Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Hill.
Hi Brenda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
By day I’m a corporate brand manager with over 25 years of brand marketing and creative management experience; but by night, weekends, and holidays, I grab my Mason jars and canning tools to transform into The Passionate Preserver.
Like so many small businesses, it started as a hobby. I grew up watching my mom preserve and for me it was more of a chore. There was absolutely nothing “passionate” about it. As a teenager, it was boring and mostly just a nuisance to MY personal time. Fast forward to adulthood when a friend wanted to learn the art of canning, I attempted to discourage her due to its laborious nature. So away we went, she learned, and I saw the art of canning in a whole new light! Many jars later transitioning this new-re-found skill into an actual business wasn’t even a dot on the radar. It was just fun to share the results with family and friends. At one point I kept a diary and recorded over 300 jars of jellies and jams – just for fun.
After a very long career as a creative manager and during a break from the corporate grind, I launched The Passionate Preserver while working as a sous-chef for chef Nancy Waldeck. With no plans of returning to the corporate world [at the time], I decided to pursue a cottage license with a focus on producing an artisanal line of lower sugar jellies, jams, and soft spreads out of my home kitchen. I was immediately welcomed into local vendor shows where I developed a reputation for my unique flavor combinations, reduced sugar, and natural flavors. For me, it’s all about celebrating the flavor – not the sugar.
Now, seven years later it’s still going strong and the passion I have for it is as strong as the first time I heard someone say, “I love your jams.” Thinking back to those days of helping my mom in the kitchen, I now smile and am thankful for all those rows and rows of Mason jars we filled with peaches, tomatoes, pickles, green beans, and endless other homegrown fruits and vegetables from my dad’s garden. Just like when I was a kid, now a long day in the kitchen ends with that familiar and gratifying “ping” when a jar has sealed. Ping! Ping! Ping!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Sometimes it’s exhausting! Unlike a corporate job, I am on my feet for hours and I’m a one-woman operating machine. I’m responsible for it all – from marketing to shopping, then making the product and selling it. I source as many local products as I can and try to buy in season yielding the freshest ingredients, which means anticipating what will be popular at a particular vendor show or online purchase. I often edit the number of flavors I have while balancing introducing new and interesting products to my line in response to those who will always ask, “What new flavors do you have since I saw you last?” I recently introduced pie fillings on the advice of a friend, and they’re doing quite well.
I also choose to do local vendor shows – I have fun while establishing a relationship with hopefully, many repeat customers. The difficult part of any show is starting from sunup to set up; sundown to breakdown. Every show includes packing up the vehicle and repeat, not to mention the time away from the kitchen. But in the end, all well worth it.
Check me out at a future show. See my vendor show calendar for this year at thepassionatepreserver.com.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have over 25 years of work experience in the corporate world – on the creative side. Many moons ago, I started as a graphic designer but quickly learned that I was better at driving the creative ideas than the actual execution, so a move to management as a creative/brand manager was a very natural fit. That experience afforded me the understanding of what makes a successful brand, differentiating yourself in the marketplace, connecting with customers, and so many other important aspects to the success of any endeavor. I enjoy the escape the small business affords me and appreciate the challenge the corporate world delivers. Both take strong work ethics, attention to detail, and passionate. And I’m grateful for both.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Knowing that you are providing a quality product that brings you enough joy to want to share with others. Still feeling giddy when you make that very first sale at a vendor show or hearing a customer tell you, “We never buy store-bought jellies or jams since purchasing from you.” Or hearing someone tell you, “I came here just to buy from you.” It never gets old, and I never take it for granted. Those butterflies in the belly are proof!
Pricing:
- Daily prices range from $5-$20
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thepassionatepreserver.com
- Instagram: thepassionatepreserver
- Facebook: facebook.com/thepassionatepreserver
- Other: Vendor booth: https://www.facebook.com/CityAntiquesandInteriorArts
Image Credits:
Adam Hawkes/Brenda Hill
