Artisanal Jam:

The sisters have deliberately chosen the evaporation process of production, to give the fruit flavors the optimal time to come into their own.  This takes longer, which is quite fitting for the monastic ideal:  to choose to do everything calmly and attentively, and not as quickly as possible.

Since their foundation in 1970, the community of Klaarland has supported itself by the production and sale of artisanal products: jams, cookies, brewers yeast tablets, candles, cards, and handwoven liturgical vestments, and.  The sisters are proud of the fact that at present they are able to earn most of their income by the work of their own hands, without the help of outside employees.  This means that all the sisters, the (very) old as well as the young, are really involved in the production, packaging, and sale.  For example, the older sisters help with picking, washing, and preserving the fruit from the monastery's garden (berries, rhubarb, apples, and quince). The younger sisters cultivate the fruits, purchase other fruits, and take care of the production, sales, quality control, publicity, packaging, etc.

According to Sr. José, the sales representative, “We began making jam from our own fruit, for our own use, in 2010.  It quickly became apparent that our guests liked the jam so much that they wanted to buy it.  For a long time we only produced enough to sell in our own little store, but since 2013 several other monastic stores have begun selling our jam as well. Production and sales have increased so rapidly during the past few years that we are now renovating and enlarging our work building, so we can give the jam production more space.  Thanks in part to help received from the ITA, production has become more professional and efficient during the past few years, but without any loss to the small-scale, artisanal quality, which is so good for the flavor.”