Meet Ashley Rouse | Founder + CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Rouse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I don’t know if there was a specific process to it. I’ve always been into food so I went to culinary school. I’ve been in this industry for over 15 years now and have always had different creative endeavors that I wanted to focus on. So, jam-making was something I came up with at a time when I was living in North Carolina and doing a ton of cooking. I started doing a food swap with friends, where I would get a group of foodie friends together and everyone would bring small portions of an item and set it on a table. Then you go around, write your name down on the items you want, and you swap. That really inspired me because I saw a lot of different things that I hadn’t seen before. And it was experiences like that which inspired me to do something in the food industry that I loved. So, I wrote down this idea about starting a jam company, and then when I moved to Brooklyn, it just felt like the right time, and I started it from there.

What should our readers know about your business?
At Trade Street Jam Co., we make low sugar, vegan jams that are good for the culture! It was important for me to bring a product to market that was healthy and clean because Americans and Blacks in particular struggle from issues like diabetes and obesity. Our products contain 3-5 grams of sugar per serving (most jams have 15-18) and have no preservatives or weird ingredients. We also love to educate our customers about how to use our jams. While they’re great with toast or on a sandwich, they’re also bomb in cocktails or over roasted meats or veggies. Our jams are not average!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m proud to call Brooklyn, NY, home. Living and working in this city has been some of the best years of my life. One of the things that has inspired me over the years and continues to do so, in particular, is New York’s food scene that is as diverse as it is delicious. There are so many dope bars, restaurants and street vendors to check out in and around Brooklyn.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely dedicate my shoutout to my husband, Don. He’s an amazing man, who is calm and patient and keeps me grounded. He also has a strong marketing and business background so he’s been very integral in helping me build Trade Street to what it is today. He is like my go to for everything.

Website: https://tradestjamco.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradestjamco/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trade-street-jam-co

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tradestjamco/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVNGot_6TjU0qohhPrlJiKA

Image Credits
Jakob Wandel, Regina Foster, We Are Harbinger, Alex Joachim