Don't you just love it - hearing about a young person coming up with a great idea and making it reality? Daughter of HamletHub reporter, Diane Farrell,, Kristin Farrell, has done just that by fulfilling her dream of producing an organic and eco-friendly food line. Kristin graduated from the University of Delaware with a Visual Communications degree, and was job searching when she decided to pursue her dream of producing wholesome, no-fail recipes in a jar. "In A Jar Foods", Kristin's burgeoning business, currently produces organic chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookie mixes in "earth-friendly" reusable glass jars and has hit the ground running with over 2000 jars produced and more on the way.
Started in the fall of 2011, Kristin's new business took off at local holiday fairs. At her very first fair at the Villa Maria School in Stamford, Kristin sold out of jars before the fair ended. Success followed with "In A Jar" selling over 1000 jars locally in a short period of time.
Kristin's idea was to make homemade baked goods more convenient and, at the same time, both delicious and organic. She tried out many recipes in her home kitchen before she was satisfied with the results. Taking her idea one step further, Kristin came up with "green" packaging using glass jars and used her creative talent to make them into attractive gift items. The idea caught on, and many people were buying up the jars to make organic treats for friends and family, and to give as gifts. "They are ideal to give as hostess gifts, teacher gifts, and as party favors too", says Kristin. Early in 2012, Kristin was asked by theRE Children's Project to produce 300 jars for their fundraiser for Rasmussen's Encephalitis.
Once she knew that her jars had caught on and were selling well, receiving accolades for both the taste of her recipes and the attractiveness of the jars, Kristin pursued getting the jars mass produced. She has expanded her packaging to include custom labeling for special occasions such as weddings, showers, and birthdays, and future plans include expanding the line to include other organic recipes. The cookie mixes are certified organic and are currently available in a large size that makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies for $16 and a small size for $12 that makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.
In A Jar Foods cookie mixes are now available on the website, www.inajarfoods.com and for a limited time, shipping is free in Connecticut. Jars are also available at Palmer's Market in Darien and Cooked and Co. in Scarsdale, NY. Kristin will be at Palmer's Market this weekend with teacher gift-wrapped jars available.