Hidden Gems: Meet Cathy Cowan of On the Rocks Gourmet Jams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy Cowan.

Hi Cathy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
One weekend while living in a suburb outside of Atlanta, I was invited to brunch. As a mom of two small kids with her fill of Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer, I immediately said, “Yes!” Before leaving, my lovely children decided they needed my help with a few “mommy can you please” tasks before I left. When I was ready to leave for mimosas, I checked my watch and realized that brunch would be over based on my arrival time. Completely in disbelief, I was hungry and certainly needed a drink. I scoured the fridge seeking what I could find to soothe my appetite and a quick cocktail. During my quest, I found biscuits to bake along with this homemade watermelon jam made by my aunt that was so freakin’ delicious! That’s when it clicked. What if I added booze to this jam? After searching Pinterest and Google, I found no recipe for boozy jams, so I made my own. So with fresh fruit on the counter and a bottle of champagne reserved for days like this, I created my first batch of alcohol-infused jam. Voilà! On the Rocks, Gourmet Jams was birthed.

With the help of friends, I began charting my path to entrepreneurship. I didn’t know the game’s rules, but I encountered some challenges that accompanied the thrill of learning something new. I enjoyed getting out week after week and talking to people at local farmers’ markets and events about my new product. I made $68 from my first event, but it felt like I made $68K! I was so thrilled that I could create something unexpectedly that people enjoyed. I took the feedback from each person to help tweak my products for future events. There was much to learn about becoming a business owner, and I’m still learning today. Although I started in 2016, I took a long break to decide whether to continue this business. I needed to prepare for the highs and lows, and bouncing back was not my greatest asset. Today, I’m hitting the reset button and starting the business over. Although it won’t be from scratch, I am taking the lessons I’ve learned and revising the business with the purpose at the forefront.

The ability to envision the goals I’ve set forth is only a portion of what motivates me to continue, even when things look bleak. My motivation comes from my past and my future. I’ve often heard the gruesome stories of my grandfather, a sharecropper who was constantly cheated out of his earnings and unable to provide for his family. It won’t mean the road will be easy, but it will be worth it. The thought of knowing that one person could be the determining factor of when and how you feed your family was enough to know that I never wanted anyone to control the fate of my family.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been challenging. When I started the business, I had no clue what to expect. In my mind, I expected to go from farmers’ markets and festivals to Williams Sonoma and Neiman Marcus! I know that sounds very aspirational and that there were several steps to get there. I still needed to finish my business plan, so I needed to understand how much operating a business truly costs.

At one point, I was so convinced I could make it happen that I took all my savings and spent it on the business. After spending money building a business, I hadn’t prepared for life’s challenges and went broke.

There was an instance where I thought I had scored a huge deal with an overseas specialty store. When they introduced themselves, they said we met at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. Since we had met many people, it was plausible that we had spoken. To make a long story short, I wanted to be on top of the order, so I made everything in advance once the payment began processing. The following day I received a call from an angry lady stating she was charged thousands of dollars. I couldn’t understand why someone would want to steal thousands of dollars of jam. In hindsight, I should’ve received payment up front.

Some opportunities were great, but I needed to realize their cost. I was offered the chance to have some chefs use my products on this TV show in the Northeast, but they wanted me to pay thousands of dollars to use my product. Everything from distribution to all the licenses, fees, and buyers had costs I still needed to prepare for.

To think that those were just business-related issues and that’s not all of them. My personal life took a hard hit that I didn’t see coming, and I moved back home for what was supposed to be temporary, and then COVID hit. Plenty of times, I wanted to throw everything away, work a regular 9 – 5 and live my life. On the other hand, there’s something about wanting to avoid having any regrets about how far the company can go, and I know and believe with every fiber of my being that jams are only the beginning. It’s tied to my purpose, and someone else’s purpose is tied to my seeing this business succeed, so I can’t give up. Because of this, I had to heal, rebuild my life, and overcome the shame and guilt of starting over.

In self-defeating moments, I agonized over where I should’ve and could’ve been. It’s during these times that God steps in and reminds me to take a deep breath and realize that those missteps were simply guides to point me in another direction.

As you know, we’re big fans of On the Rocks Gourmet Jams. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
On the Rocks Gourmet Jams blends fresh fruit and alcohol to create a boozy preserve. With such favorites as Peach Bellini, Raspberry Mimosa, Watermelon Lemonade Margarita, and Peach Mango Moscato, there’s something for everyone’s pallet. While these boozy creations are favorites amongst our “Rockstars,” I also created a line of nonalcoholic jams. These jams are used for something other than toast or bagels; you can use them in your parfaits, glazes, marinades for your meat, and garnishments for cocktails. Although I have not promoted them as much, Hot Pepper Jam is the crowd favorite. We offer gift sets ranging from sample sizes to larger sets with various flavors. Most importantly, On the Rocks Gourmet Jams is a brand that invokes fun, curiosity, and creativity.

We were featured on the TV show The List and placed in AARP’s latest subscription box. Our jams are sold in Made in KC and hopefully will return to The Better Cheddar. We were featured in a couple of restaurants and stores throughout Atlanta, and I’m hopeful that with this resurgence of lessons learned, we will be in more stores, but for now, you will likely find us at your local farmers market.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I like the easy commute, and even the traffic isn’t traffic compared to larger cities. I also love that it’s affordable for families. I dislike the lack of diversity and wealth distribution in this city. While living in NYC, I learned about many cultures and ethnicities I hadn’t experienced before. After leaving the Northeast and moving to Atlanta, I loved that I finally lived in a city surrounded by black professionals. Representation matters to me now that I am a mother, so having black pediatricians, OB-GYNs, chefs, judges, etc., was something I didn’t have the chance to see, but my kids will see it. Seeing black living well and succeeding no longer felt like an anomaly. In Kansas City, you can still ride through neighborhoods and guess what part of town you’re in.

Pricing:

• $8.99 – 4 oz jar
• $2.99 – 1.25 oz jar

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ontherocksjams.com
• Instagram: @ontherocksjams
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ontherocksjams
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/OnTheRocksJams

Image Credits
Photos by Wynne Photography