Some of the most innovative and successful small-batch purveyors in the gourmet food industry have soared in popularity by following this winning formula: Great product in the right packaging. T.H.E.M. (Technical Help in Engineering & Marketing), a leading provider of flexible, single-serve packaging, played a pivotal role in helping one such company, The Jam Stand.
The Jam Stand co-owners, Jessica Quon and Sabrina Valle, were featured on an episode of CNBC’s “Billion Dollar Buyer,” a reality TV show starring billionaire Tilman Fertitta, owner of many restaurants and casinos, where he invited entrepreneurs to pitch their products in hopes of a distribution deal. While Fertitta was initially impressed with The Jam Stand’s creative flavors, he could not envision serving 1.5-oz glass jars of jam to customers (knowing two thirds of the jam would go to waste), suggesting that an alternative packaging format might be a decisive factor in winning his favor and, more importantly, a coveted initial order.