{"id":223806,"date":"2025-06-29T10:57:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/223806\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T10:57:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T10:57:19","slug":"just-what-is-meghan-trying-to-hide-after-months-of-fruitless-investigation-caroline-graham-discovers-a-shocking-new-theory-on-whats-really-behind-the-duchesss-jam-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/223806\/","title":{"rendered":"Just what is Meghan trying to hide? After months of fruitless investigation, CAROLINE GRAHAM discovers a shocking new theory on what’s REALLY behind the Duchess’s jam brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is unquestionably the Duchess of Sussex<\/a>\u2019s most famous product, and the one she lovingly refers to on her As Ever website as \u2018where it all began\u2019.<\/p>\n

Yet, three months on from the public launch of her in-demand raspberry spread, mystery still surrounds the provenance of the \u00a36.50-a-jar product.<\/p>\n

There is no indication on the label of the pricey jar \u2013 not, technically, a jam because of its high fruit content \u2013 as to where it is actually made.<\/p>\n

Indeed, one expert has gone so far as to describe it as \u2018purposefully vague\u2019.<\/p>\n

Such is the deepening mystery around it that, over several months, The Mail on Sunday spoke to scores of jam manufacturers, fruit growers and packaging companies in a bid to track down its origins. Some were close to the \u00a314.5 million Montecito mansion Meghan shares with Prince Harry<\/a> and their children, Archie and Lilibet. Others were thousands of miles away on the opposite coast of the US.<\/p>\n

Intriguingly, despite global publicity and an almost obsessive interest in the spread from Meghan\u2019s fans, the trail went cold.<\/p>\n

No one in the industry could shed any light on where the spread comes from \u2013 from the berries it contains all the way to its production sites. It leads to an almost inevitable question: What is Meghan trying to hide?<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The one thing that seems certain is that it isn\u2019t Meghan producing the vats of product necessary to serve her customers<\/p>\n

The Duchess has gone to great lengths to portray the preserve as an artisanal product, with her As Ever website claiming it is \u2018inspired by the recipe Meghan crafted in her home kitchen\u2019.<\/p>\n

There was an enchanting video posted to her Instagram Stories showing a bubbling pot of the jam and featuring four-year-old Lilibet. Meghan is heard asking, \u2018What do you think, Lili?\u2019 to which the adorable toddler responds, \u2018I think it\u2019s beautiful.\u2019<\/p>\n

The one thing that seems certain is that it isn\u2019t Meghan producing the vats of product necessary to serve her customers. The sheer numbers alone means no one woman could.<\/p>\n

After her last \u2018product drop\u2019 on June 20, there were half-a-million visits to the As Ever website \u2013 the \u2018conversion rate\u2019 (the industry term for the proportion of visitors who go on to buy a product) is said to have been three times higher than 2 per cent which is about average for most comparable online food firms.<\/p>\n

So why the secrecy? Might the \u2018organic\u2019 range have a rather high carbon footprint?<\/p>\n

As one professor of sustainability told us: \u2018It\u2019s possible the berries are picked in one place, trucked to a jam factory miles away. Then put on another truck and sent to a shipment centre. That\u2019s a large carbon footprint for each tiny jar.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, in 2021 on their Archewell website the Sussexes pledged to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030.<\/p>\n

Professor Andy Hoffman, of the University of Michigan\u2019s School for Environment and Sustainability, told the MoS that As Ever\u2019s elaborate packaging is an \u2018issue\u2019.<\/p>\n

Her spreads, for example, come in \u2018keepsake\u2019 cylinders \u2013 which add \u00a33.50 to the price \u2013 and its delivery packing involves another cardboard box with Styrofoam filler. Prof Hoffman says: \u2018Packaging is an issue. Consumers are consumers and even if you were claiming sustainability \u2013 though as I understand she\u2019s not making any claims about her products being sustainable \u2013 you still have to make something people want. This is the marketer\u2019s conundrum.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"As <\/p>\n

As one professor of sustainability told us: \u2018It\u2019s possible the berries are picked in one place, trucked to a jam factory miles away. Then put on another truck and sent to a shipment centre. That\u2019s a large carbon footprint for each tiny jar.\u2019<\/p>\n

Meghan has already faced negative publicity when it was revealed this week that her expensive herbal teas are made by The Republic of Tea, a giant US manufacturer, which sells almost identical blends at a third of the price.<\/p>\n

Sources close to the Duchess insist any secrecy is perfectly normal when you are dealing with proprietary blends, to prevent other companies from ripping off your recipe. They argue the Republic of Tea story is also unfair because her teas are bespoke and custom-blended.<\/p>\n

What those sources have divulged, however, is that the berries for both her raspberry spread and newly-launched apricot spread are Californian-grown and bottled. So who is supplying them?<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not us,\u2019 laughed Molly Gean, who owns Harry\u2019s Berries, one of California\u2019s top berry growers.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whoever it is will have signed a non-disclosure agreement.\u2019<\/p>\n

Another grower suggested berries may be getting picked by illegal migrants who flood into California, mostly from Mexico, during harvest season.<\/p>\n

A man picking up the phone at the headquarters of a company that supplies Smucker\u2019s and Welch\u2019s, two of America\u2019s largest jam brands, said: \u2018Big companies don\u2019t care but celebrities do. They don\u2019t want people like you poking around and finding out things like who is picking the berries.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is California, there are a lot of undocumented field workers passing through. In the current political climate with [President] Trump ordering illegal migrants to be rounded up, no-one wants a scandal.\u2019<\/p>\n

Calls to dozens of other growers were met with \u2018no comment\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The berries for both her raspberry spread and newly-launched apricot spread are Californian-grown and bottled. So who is supplying them?<\/p>\n

Experts we spoke to for our investigation suggest the spread is almost certainly mass-produced, and possibly from a \u2018co-packaging\u2019 factory \u2013 firms that will put another client\u2019s label on an existing product.<\/p>\n

Donna Collins is one of America\u2019s most successful jam makers and has won more than 40 world championships with her \u2018Jelly Queens\u2019 brand. She told the MoS: \u2018A high-end client might want to give the impression their jams are being made by hand in a country kitchen, while they\u2019re actually made in an industrial warehouse on a sterile production line.\u2019<\/p>\n

Pointing to a video Meghan posted on her As Ever Instagram site of the \u2018jam\u2019 being made, Ms Collins added: \u2018Looking at the video she\u2019s posted, her production looks industrial, not small-scale.<\/p>\n

\u2018Her raspberry spread isn\u2019t touched by a human hand in its entire production. It\u2019s made at scale in a huge vat and cooked quickly, pumped down a pipe and squeezed into jars.\u2019<\/p>\n

Non-disclosure agreements (NDA) are signed the moment a celebrity approaches a jam manufacturer, threatening hefty fines if anyone is caught leaking details to the public. A source at a major packing company that deals with celebrities said: \u2018The first thing I do after taking a customer\u2019s deposit is sign a mutual NDA.<\/p>\n

\u2018Customers want complete confidence that no-one will ever know their artisanal jams are being made for them under someone else\u2019s name. That applies to everyone, not just celebrities.\u2019<\/p>\n

But the mystery around Meghan\u2019s products could also be linked to the fact that \u2013 while the Duchess is involved in the development of her products \u2013 much of the business side is being handled by streaming giant Netflix.<\/p>\n

Meghan chose to team up with Netflix \u2013 where she and Harry have a $100 million (\u00a373.3 million) deal that includes her With Love, Meghan cooking show \u2013 saying: \u2018I had been working towards building my own in-house team but I had a complete U-turn. We are on calls daily, working through product development… and inventory.\u2019<\/p>\n

The label on Meghan\u2019s spread lists Netflix\u2019s corporate offices on Sunset Boulevard as its official address, which one jam maker says is \u2018purposefully vague\u2019.<\/p>\n

Unlike the UK, which has strict laws about listing food products and their origins on labels, the rules are laxer in the US.<\/p>\n

The jam maker says: \u2018Meghan and Netflix have kept it simple, labelling the products as coming from Netflix means they can source the ingredients from anywhere \u2013 as long as they come from within the US. If they buy ingredients from outside the US it has to say so on the label.<\/p>\n

\u2018Legally she can manufacture the jam wherever she wants. It\u2019s what most celebrity brands do. There\u2019s just more scrutiny on her.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Duchess has gone to great lengths to portray the preserve as an artisanal product. There was an enchanting video posted to her Instagram Stories showing a bubbling pot of the jam and featuring four-year-old Lilibet<\/p>\n

Meghan\u2019s first batch of products, launched on April 2, was handled by Snow Commerce, and shipped out of a massive FedEx centre in Marion, Illinois, 2,000 miles from Montecito. Robots \u2018pull\u2019 the products from the shelves in the centre where 280 employees work in four shifts around the clock.<\/p>\n

A source at the facility said: \u2018You\u2019re never going to find anyone who handles Meghan\u2019s jam. It\u2019s all automated.\u2019<\/p>\n

Eric Schiffer, from Reputation Management Consultants, says: \u2018In Meghan\u2019s case, you have a very high-profile person who has carefully crafted an image around her products both on her TV show and on social media.<\/p>\n

\u2018Jam is central to her brand. If you look at her social media posts it\u2019s all about the jam and bubbling pots on the stove while her daughter stands beside her. It\u2019s cute and wholesome.<\/p>\n

\u2018She\u2019s been effective in her messaging, particularly with Americans, who are more naive than the Brits.<\/p>\n

\u2018The cornerstone with any celebrity brand is trust.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m not suggesting Meghan is doing anything wrong \u2013 all celebrities create an illusion and that\u2019s part of the game \u2013 but she\u2019s under more scrutiny than most.<\/p>\n

\"Meghan's <\/p>\n

Meghan’s As Ever ros\u00e9 is produced by a vineyard which also makes award-winning wines for superstar singer Barry Manilow, the MoS can reveal<\/p>\n

\u2018She\u2019s someone whose version of the \u201ctruth\u201d has been challenged in the past. You only have to remember the Queen saying, \u201crecollections may vary\u201d [when Meghan aired her grievances about the Royal Family during an Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021].\u2019<\/p>\n

In short, Schiffer argues that \u2018secrecy causes mystery and intrigue. But it can also backfire\u2019.<\/p>\n

… but we do know where her ros\u00e9 comes from<\/p>\n

Meghan’s As Ever ros\u00e9 is produced by a vineyard which also makes award-winning wines for superstar singer Barry Manilow, the MoS can reveal.<\/p>\n

Fairwinds Estate in Napa Valley was nearly destroyed by a wildfire in 2020, but has been rebuilt thanks to its focus on high-profile collaborations with celebrities and sports teams.<\/p>\n

It is not known how much Meghan\u2019s wine, pictured right, will cost \u2013 which goes on sale on July 1, Princess Diana\u2019s birthday \u2013 but she joins a line of celebs who have cashed in with exclusive drinks.<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt\u2019s Miraval ros\u00e9 empire is now valued at $200 million and George Clooney sold his CasaAmigos tequila brand for $1billion to drinks giant Diageo.<\/p>\n

Fairwinds\u2019 cellar master Troy Harbison said: \u2018For a while we weren\u2019t sure if the winery would survive. The owners had the idea of working with celebrities and sports teams to make their own line of wines, and it took off.\u2019<\/p>\n

Additional reporting: Peter Sheridan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is unquestionably the Duchess of Sussex\u2019s most famous product, and the one she lovingly refers to on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[7709,557,92,7721,7719,7718,459,7720,1281,451,12,447,7710,519,7711],"class_list":{"0":"post-223806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-british-royal-family","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-dailymail","11":"tag-duchess-of-sussex","12":"tag-duke-of-sussex","13":"tag-harry","14":"tag-instagram","15":"tag-meghan","16":"tag-meghan-markle","17":"tag-netflix","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-prince-harry","20":"tag-royal-families","21":"tag-royal-family","22":"tag-uk-royal-family"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114766299451624553","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}