Fraser Doherty's simple recipe for success? Do what you love. Photo courtesy of SuperJam.

Living in Silicon Valley, I’m used to being blown away by the technical genius of entrepreneurs and the sheer determination the best of them have to use technology to make the world a better place. Earlier this week, however, I was reminded that being a geek isn’t a prerequisite for starting a business that makes a dent on the planet.

I'm in Seoul, South Korea, currently, speaking at the Herald Design Forum. At the opening event, Fraser Doherty, a young Scottish entrepreneur, gave an inspiring talk about his fast-growing business, SuperJam. No, it’s not the latest Spotify. SuperJam makes something tastier and more lo-fi: sugar-free, 100-percent-fruit preserves.

Fraser got his start in the food business as a kid, raising chickens. (He shuttered the business after a hostile takeover by a local fox.) Undeterred, Fraser went on to learn how to make jam from his “gran” in her Edinburgh kitchen at age 14. The customer base for his first line of preserves was confined to neighbors and friends from church, but news spread quickly, and by 16, Fraser left school to make fruit jams full-time.

A decade later, SuperJam has sold millions of jars and can be found in thousands of supermarkets worldwide. Launching a healthy, successful product would have been enough for most entrepreneurs, but “Jam Boy,” as Fraser calls himself, also wanted to give back in a meaningful way. So, he conceived SuperJam Tea Parties, a nonprofit that organizes free socials for elderly people who live alone or in nursing homes. Since 2008, the charity has thrown hundreds of events across Scotland, England, and Wales, with live music, good conversations, and of course, delicious jam and scones.

Shortly after his company made its first million in 2008, Forbes interviewed Fraser, asking how he felt about being so wealthy so young. “I can’t be preoccupied with the money,” Doherty said. “I make jam because it’s what I love to do.” Proof that even in the digital age, simple ideas, pursued with passion, can result in sweetly successful businesses.

Have you ever turned a personal pursuit into a business?

With humble beginnings in his grandmother’s kitchen, young entrepreneur Fraser Doherty’s jam business is taking over the world… 

Jam. Fraser Doherty loves jam. The fascination started in his grandmother’s kitchen in Edinburgh. Aged 14, the young Fraser discovered her making jam one day. She shared her secret family recipe and his love for the fruity preserve grew from there.

Entrepreneurial from a young age, Fraser took his jam-making hobby to the next level by selling it to neighbours, local shops and farmers’ markets. But to go even further, Fraser needed something special to make his jam stand out. “People at farmers’ markets were always telling me they didn’t eat jam because it has too much sugar in it. So, I came up with a natural, ultra jam, made 100% from fruit – that’s how SuperJam was born.”

With a helping hand from the Prince’s Trust and a dedicated mentor, it wasn’t long before SuperJam was filling the shelves of some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets. “SuperJam launched nationally in Waitrose in 2007, selling over 1,500 jars in one store on day one,” says a justly proud Fraser. Other leading supermarkets soon caught on. You can now find SuperJam in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Booths stores up and down the UK.

Perhaps most impressive is SuperJam’s international success. “Once we got to the point where we were selling to the biggest markets in the UK, I figured people eat jam all over the world so there are bound to be opportunities elsewhere,” explains the young entrepreneur.

But where do you even begin with selling jam worldwide? “Markets like Ireland and Scandinavia are a good place to start as you know that they speak good English and are receptive to British products,” enlightens Fraser. SuperJam is now enjoying success in Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Russia and Australia.

That said, there’s one major market currently missing from SuperJam’s export list – the United States. “It’s a market I’ve been patient with. The key is to figure out how to get the products there and on the shelf at a price that is competitive with American brands,” says Fraser. He remains resilient and determined. After planning for a couple of years, SuperJam is getting ready to export its first load of jam to the United States.

So what tips does Fraser have for other young entrepreneurs thinking of taking their idea global? “Start small. People think they need to jump in at the deep end and expand immediately. But SuperJam is proof that you can start something on a small scale, just at weekends. I’d suggest finding a mentor. Someone who’s been there, done it before and can give you sound advice.”

After making so much jam, isn’t Fraser sick of the stuff? “Not at all. I still eat a lot of jam and I like experimenting with new flavours. My favourite is the blueberry and blackberry jam. I love cooking and baking with it.”

In fact, Fraser has written The SuperJam Cookbook, which is full of ideas for jam-filled puddings. But the budding writer hasn’t stopped there, with a second title to his name: SuperBusiness. “SuperBusiness explains the journey I’ve been on, the advice I’ve received, the things I’ve learned and the ups and downs of getting SuperJam off the ground.”

And at the age of 23, the future for Fraser and his jam business looks, well, super…

Find out more about Fraser Doherty and SuperJam here.

Fraser Doherty, a 24-year-old Scot, is one of the leading jam makers in the United Kingdom (U.K.).He learned the art of jam making from his grandmother in Edinburgh when he was 14. Passionate about making jam, he decided to create his own company, SuperJam, and started selling his products door to door, at farmers’ markets and to delicatessens.

Fraser analyzed the jam market in the U.K. and realized that sales were declining, because the existing products were unhealthy and no new brands had appeared for a long time. He was determined to change that. So, he started playing around with his grandmother’s recipes, trying to eliminate adding sugar and to avoid anything artificial, until he ended up developing  a method of producing jam 100 percent from fruit and fruit juices.

After that, orders picked up fast, with shops contacting him for the jam, so he decided to leave school at the age of 16 and focus full time on developing SuperJam.  Seeing his success in local shops, he decided to pitch his products to big supermarkets in the U.K., so he went to a Waitrose ‘meet the buyer day.’ Fraser was told his idea was great, but that he would need first to set up production, create a brand and return with a right price for the jams.

Eager to respond to Waitrose’s demands, Fraser started reaching out to factories, as he could not produce the jam needed by a supermarket in his parents’ kitchen. Convincing a factory proved to be a rather difficult task for a teen with no financial resources and no experience. He eventually found a jam factory willing to work with him and mass produce the jams he developed in his kitchen. He also hired an ad agency to create a brand identity for his products.

The Waitrose officials were not too enthusiastic with the results. Apart from not liking the flavors, they thought the labels were silly and the factory costs too high. Fraser was determined to convince them. So, he reduced the production costs, by signing on with a new factory and had his ad agency re-envision his brand. In order to cover his expenses and gain more factory time to produce three flavors, Blueberry & Blackcurrant, Rhubarb & Ginger and Cranberry & Raspberry, Fraser used his saving and got a loan for £5,000. He went back to Waitrose and, in March 2007, he became the youngest ever supplier to a key supermarket chain in the U.K., when Waitrose decided to launch his product range in their stores. In the first day, one of the Waitrose in Edinburgh sold 1,500 jars, more jam than they would normally sell in a month.

The media coverage surrounding the Waitrose event was incredible. Among other media commitments, Fraser was a guest on BBC Breakfast. More supermarkets, including Tesco, started calling to get the SuperJam. The company currently supplies over 2,000 supermarkets around the world, including Tesco, Wal-Mart and Asda, in countries, such as Australia, Russia and Denmark. In the future, the young entrepreneur wants to continue expanding his market into more supermarkets from across the world and to continue todiversify the jams’ flavors.

Apart from running his business, in 2008, Fraser established a charitable project called ‘SuperJam Tea Parties’ for elderly people living alone, in care homes or sheltered housing. It has hosted hundreds of events with live music, dancing, scones and SuperJam, where up to 600 people can participate. The young Scot has also written two best-selling books, The SuperJam Cookbook and SuperBusiness,containing jam recipes and, respectively, his story and the lessons he has learned in creating his company.

Fraser has received numerous accolades for his work. Among other distinctions, in 2007, he was named ‘Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year,’ the first ever winner from outside North America and has been ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ at the London Metropolitan University since 2010, holding lectures on entrepreneurship.

How the author of The SuperJam Cookbook, Fraser Doherty, answered the questions of novices and experienced jammers.

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Ever since I was a little kid, I have always loved jam. Especially my gran's jam, which she's been making in her wee kitchen in Glasgow for as long as I can remember.

One afternoon, when I was 14, I took an interest in jam making and asked my gran to share her secrets with me. After a few hours of learning about fruit, pectin, the setting point and how to put jam into jars, I was ready to have a shot at making it myself.

That same day, I ran around to the supermarket and bought some fruit and sugar and made a batch of my own. Before it had even cooled down, I went round to the neighbours to ask what they thought. Thankfully, they liked the first few jars and began buying my homemade jams and marmalades every couple of weeks. I was in business!

That tiny enterprise grew and grew and I was soon supplying delicatessens all over Scotland. I later came up with a method for making jam entirely from fruit which I called SuperJam. We have since launched into Waitrose and other major supermarkets and I've written a recipe book, The SuperJam Cookbook, sharing some of my gran's and my own jam making secrets.

Everyone seems to have a story about jam. It brings back memories of childhood, of grandparents, maybe of a time when things were simpler. Making your own is a hugely satisfying and rewarding process, especially if you pick the fruit yourself. For those who have never made preserves before, it might be a daunting endeavour but there are a few basic tips that should guarantee success.

What kind of fruit should you use?

The reason jam sets is down to pectin, which occurs naturally in fruits. Some fruits are high in pectin, such as raspberries, apples, plums and oranges. These are easy to make jam from. For fruits that don't contain much pectin, like strawberries, you can add extra pectin (available in wee bottles in the supermarkets).

The basic method of jam making involves cooking fruit on a low heat until it has the consistency of porridge, then adding sugar (or fruit juice, if you're making SuperJam) and bringing it up to the setting point (105C).

How will you know that it is going to set?

There is a wee trick that my Gran taught me to test whether your jam is going to set. You put a spoonful of the hot jam onto a cold plate, wait a couple of minutes and then run your finger across it. If the jam wrinkles, you're onto a winner.

How do you put the jam into jars?

The most important thing in jam making is being sure everything is clean and sterile, especially the jars. You can heat up the jars in the oven before pouring in the jam to be sure that they are safe and sound.

You can't go far wrong if you stick to those few simple rules. Once you start making jams, you'll soon be experimenting with all kinds of fruits and maybe you'll even try your hand at marmalades, curds, chutneys and nut butters …. All just as fun!

Whether you've never tried making jam before and need a little encouragement, want to know whether a crazy idea you've had for a recipe will actually work, or are an experienced jam maker and have questions about the finer points of the process this is the place to be. Post your questions below.