In 1991 Linnet Mushran took a trip to Himachal and saw her Husband’s Uncle’s beautiful cottage in the village of Bhuira, nestled in the rolling hills of the Sirmaur District. She fell in love with it immediately and decided to buy it so it could still remain part of the family. The house nursed a small Apple orchard and with easy access to the fruit, Linnet started experimenting with making Apple Jellies, recreating her childhood in England. The positive response to the Apple Jelly led her to explore manufacturing more flavours. Linnet at the same time was keenly aware of the need for the local women to have a self -sufficient lifestyle. With this idea in mind, Bhuira Jams was born in 1999.
The
abundance of Stone fruits such as Cherry, Peach, Apricot, plums and many more
local fruits led to a range of flavours being created and from one factory in
1999, Bhuira Jams now has two manufacturing units. The first being located in
Bhuira itself and the other in the nearby village of Halonipul, both being
proudly managed and run by the Local Himachali Women.
Linnet Quote
‘Women take a lot of pride in these jams, named after their village. Really, it is their unconditional dedication to jam making that has brought us so far. I live in peace with them handling the factory even when I’m not there. They are now able to work on computers, and we also have laptops for them.”
Bhuira Jams was started up in the year 1999, with the idea of developing fresh, handcrafted jams & jellies filled with the goodness of local fruit in the small village of Bhuira, Himachal Pradesh.
More importantly, Bhuira Jams was employing women who belonged to this village, empowering them to enhance their quality of life. The setting up of the factories also allowed marginal farmers to sell their produce locally. They no longer had to struggle with middlemen, strict mandi bargains or distress sales. Local women too had an opportunity to substitute family income by working at the Jam Factories. Over a hundred women today support the operations of the two Jam facilities.
Bhuira Jams is proud to be part of this transformational journey that has helped uplift their economic status and dignity within their society and their families.
Linnet Mushran
British by birth and Indian at Heart, Linnet Mushran the founder of Bhuira Jams is the soul of the Company. Her passion for jam making and women empowerment feeds her steps and her unbridled warmth and energy lights up the Bhuira family
Rebecca Vaz
Rebecca Vaz is the director of Bhuira Jams. With a background in management and confectionary production, she has brought in a fresh approach, blending the modern with the traditional but ensuring the handcrafted flavour of the company still remains.