Blue Chair Fruit makes the best jams and marmalades in the United States. Our passion is fruit, and we source ours directly from local organic farmers, with whom we have formed a close relationship over the past several years. Our preserves stand out for their instantly recognizable brightness of flavor, perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, and beautiful texture. We make each of our jams and marmalades in tiny batches in traditional French copper jam kettles. Our ever-changing selection of flavors ranges from simple to complex, and we use the widest possible array of fruits and flavors.
Blue Chair Fruit was founded by Rachel Saunders in 2008 following nearly ten years of preparation and intense study of fruit and fruit preserving techniques. A native of New York State, Rachel majored in French at Smith College in Northampton, MA prior to moving west. She spent the next several years working with sustainable food and on her jams, culminating with the launch of Blue Chair Fruit.
Meet the Blue Chair Fruit Team
RACHEL
Rachel loves fruit! Though she would be hard-pressed to name a favorite, she especially loves the months of September and October, because there is such a wide variety of fruits at that time: figs, tomatoes, apples, grapes, stone fruits, and more. Rachel is the creative mind behind Blue Chair, and she lives the life of a small business person. Which is to say, she does the jobs of about three or four people! Rachel is inordinately grateful to her fantastic staff, which is what makes Blue Chair Fruit possible!!
LUZ
Rachel knew Luz was a keeper when, on her first day of work, Luz insisted upon finishing a huge batch of Concord Grape Jam she and Rachel had started, despite staying at the kitchen until well past 10pm with no dinner! Luz, you are one in a million! Luz's favorite fruits include elderberries and Concord grapes, though she also flipped over this year's East Coast Blueberry Jam. Luz helps Rachel with a wide array of jobs at Blue Chair. Rachel doesn't know where she would be without her!
JAMIE
Jamie is Rachel's new assistant, and is also now the face of Blue Chair Fruit at the Grand Lake Farmers' Market and the Temescal Farmers' Market! Jamie's enthusiasm for all things Blue Chair Fruit is infectious! Since learning about our marmalades, she has become a convert; our English Marmalade is one of her favorites, but she loves them all. Jamie recently relocated to Oakland from Australia, where she lived and worked after college. We are so happy to have found her!
ERIN
Erin is the newest addition to our kitchen staff, and she had proven herself adept at all manner of work, be it welcoming clients at the farmers' markets, slicing lemons, or running to the post office at a moment's notice. Erin works as a private chef when not helping out at Blue Chair Fruit, and we are so happy she has time to fit us in her schedule! Erin, you are fantastic!
KATE
Kate works for us at the Noe Valley and California Street Palo Alto farmers' markets, and we are thrilled to have her! When not busy sharing the wonders of Blue Chair Fruit with clients at the market, Kate is a major force behind the scenes, where she is a frequent contributor to our blog, facebook, and other online outlets. Kate, we love you!
The Blue Chair Fruit Kitchen
We work out of a beautiful and newly restored turn-of-the-century streetcar garage in north Oakland, and our space belongs to Grace Street Catering.
Our address is:
4629 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Oakland, CA 94609
Tel. (510) 654-BLUE
You can visit our kitchen by taking one of our fabulous jam or marmalade classes or by visiting the Pop-Up General Store!
Blue Chair Fruit Thinks Green
In addition to sourcing our fruit directly from local organic farms, Blue Chair Fruit uses only reusable metal tasting spoons at our farmers' market stands, and we have also instituted a successful jar return program. At each market, we offer jar return cards, enabling you to bring your used jars back to us. You can return your jars one at a time or all at once, whichever is best for you. For every twelve jars returned, you will be eligible to receive a free jam or marmalade of your choice!
