Why do we use lemon juice in jam?
Lemon juice is added to our jams to help give each jar some acidity which in turn, helps bring out that fresh fruit flavour.
Something unique to Single Variety Co. and what helps sets us apart from other brands is that we use pure lemon juice whereas most jam manufacturers use concentrated lemon juice, or an acidity regular such as citric acid.
These alternatives may be much cheaper but we believe pure lemon juice tastes far better and adds to the overall quality of the final product- just like you’d use making jam at home!
So, Is lemon juice vegan?
Previously, we used a supplier that was based in the UK (they were importing lemons and then squeezing them in the UK) but we were surprised to find out earlier this year that the lemon juice we were using was not certified as vegan, so naturally we asked the question why?
The lemons they use were coated in wax, to help keep them fresh when they travelled from source to our supplier. The wax they used can be beeswax or shellac, neither of which are strictly vegan as they come from animal sources. This meant that the finished lemon juice could not be labelled as vegan.
So what did we do?
We set about trying to find out as much as we could about lemon juice and looking into as many supply options as possible, and it soon became apparent we had to find a supplier who could juice at source, meaning that the lemons don’t need to travel, and therefore there is no need for a protective wax coating.
This also has the added benefit of being better from a carbon footprint point of view, as the whole lemons are not now being shipped to the UK, it is just the juice. Which ultimately means, we can now confidently confirm that all our products are vegan friendly!
Nicola Elliott, Founder, Single Variety Co.
We make seriously delicious fruit preserves and chilli jams that each showcase one single variety. Find out more about us here.
