Behind the Brand – Crossogue Preserves
We make it the only way we know how”
Crossogue Preserves are made by hand in small batches in the kitchen of the Molloy family farm in the heart of Tipperary, just as they have been ever since Veronica Molloy set up the business 30 years ago.
Today the business has expanded, and Veronica is now joined by her son Mark who manages the equestrian side of the business – a working stud farm offering residential holidays for small groups.
Veronica is still very much at the heart of the preserves business, and she cherishes the team that have grown around her over the years. Together they produce around 220 preserves including jams, chutneys, marmalades, curds, spreads, jellies and coulis. Each product is authentic: prepared by hand in small batches and made with carefully selected ingredients that are true to nature and bursting with flavour. The process is heavily reliant on labour, so it is extremely important to have the right team on board.
Mary
You’ll never find another Mary!”
Mary has worked at Crossogue from the beginning. She is entrusted with checking and preparing fruit and other ingredients, and the first stages of preparation. Ensuring fruit is blemish-free and in perfect condition is the foundation to creating the highest quality preserves. She knows how critical it is to get every step right: the right proportion of eggs and lemons to make the perfect lemon curd for instance or ensuring that a marmalade mixture is cooked for just the right length of time to achieve the perfect texture. Mary is loyal and dedicated. Once she has completed her preparations she makes sure everything is ready for the next stage. Even when on a day off she will send a text to make sure an important step is not forgotten!
Mary radiates warmth and is loved and respected by the team. When not at Crossogue Mary likes to spend time with her children and grandchildren or sing in the local church choir – she has by all accounts a beautiful singing voice!
Jane
Jane is “Chief Jam Maker” and has been with Crossogue for 15 years. She understands the art of jam-making, and the skill of getting it consistently right. Her knowledge is extensive, covering the entire range of over 200 preserves, from regular favourites to niche variants that are made to order. Once Veronica has experimented with a new recipe she hands it over to Jane to fine-tune and perfect it. Jane has her own way of doing things – she is a perfectionist who strives to get every detail just right. She has her fingers on the pulse and knows exactly when it’s time to order more jam jars or more sugar. She can be relied on not to miss a thing!
Jane is entrusted with the ‘tricky’ jams, like banana and rum, a delicious jam with a custard-like consistency and a real punch of sweet rum, guaranteed to transport your sense all the way to Jamaica!
Peter
Peter has worked at Crossogue for three years. He hails from Liverpool, and came to live in Tipperary after meeting his wife who is local to the area. Peter is responsible for printing and attaching labels and noting all the important details for each product including ingredients, nutritional analysis and dates. He manages stock control and helps with distribution. Having a background in the hospitality sector certainly helps.
Like any true Liverpudlian, Peter has a great sense of humour and a warm way with people. His wit and banter keep the team entertained at work!
Carly
Meeting a local man brought Carly from her native England to Tipperary. Carly is a fixer, and can turn her hand to anything, an indispensable trait in a small business. Carly learned about computers from her Dad who worked in the industry, and this has stood her in good stead. She finds technology easier than most and has embraced the new stock-taking system at Crossogue. Carly radiates energy and has a great way with people. She enjoys engaging with customers, and they love her!
Veronica is very proud of all the members of her team, and grateful to them for their individual contributions and how they pull together as a whole. It is a far cry from the early days when she had to do everything on her own! There is joy in working with great people every day, just as there is joy in the fruits of their labour.
A labour of love
All at Crossogue share an appreciation of the natural cycle of the seasons and a love of nature and its rich bounty in this beautiful part of Tipperary. Fruits from the farm and surrounding hedgerows include blackberries, apples, raspberries, gooseberries, sloes, damsons and elderflowers, all of which the team make use of.
Nostalgia
Many of us remember a time when every home had homemade jam, both to preserve fruit and enhance its flavour. Today Crossogue allows us to indulge in that nostalgia. Crossogue offers a range of unique gift boxes packed with authentic home-made preserves that can transport us back to childhood memories, and the sheer joy of the tasting homemade jam! A gift that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
For connoisseurs
Plans are afoot at Crossogue to launch a Jam Club which will allow connoisseurs and the curious alike to enjoy a selection of premium preserves. Each preserve will offer a distinctive flavour that represents a certain time of year. For a unique and truly seasonal experience, join the Club!
In the meantime, visit our website to learn more, browse and buy.
Visit Crossoguepreserves.com