Our Story
Born from a deep respect for the land, the farmers who work it, and the communities that depend on it.
We Are Terroir in a Jar
Terroir in a Jar is a certified co-packing kitchen based in Watsonville, CA — the heart of the Pajaro Valley. We partner with local farms to transform surplus and imperfect produce into beautiful, shelf-stable jarred products. Nothing goes to waste. Every jar tells the story of the land it came from.
45%
of this nation's fruits and vegetables go to waste every year.
We're changing that — one jar at a time.
EARTH • END USE • EQUITY
Earth
Our kitchen is the first green-certified kitchen by the state of California in Santa Cruz County. We recycle everything we can, use no single-use containers, and keep water usage to a minimum.
End Use
We capture your produce at its peak flavor profile — regardless of appearance — and transform it into a shelf-stable product with a certificate of authentication on every case.
Equity
We believe in lifting our community. By working with local farms and keeping production regional, we support the livelihoods of the people who grow our food.
Ingredient Integrity
The Salt of the Land
Every product we make that calls for salt is seasoned exclusively with Big Sur Sea Salt — harvested from the pristine waters of the California coast, just down the road from our Watsonville kitchen. Salt is not a neutral ingredient. It shapes flavor, draws out natural sweetness, and anchors the character of every jar. By choosing Big Sur Sea Salt, we are not simply seasoning our products — we are adding another layer of California terroir. The mineral depth of the Pacific, the coastal air, the same geography that defines the farms we partner with. It is one more way every jar we produce is unmistakably, authentically of this place.
Big Sur Sea Salt
Harvested from the California coast
Used exclusively in every Terroir in a Jar product that calls for salt — from culinary finishing salts and hot sauces to body scrubs. One ingredient, one origin, one terroir.
Meet Tabitha
Tabitha is the founder and driving force behind Terroir in a Jar. A Cordon Bleu graduate with a degree in Food Science, she brings both culinary precision and deep scientific knowledge to every jar. Since 2011 she has also served as owner and chef of Friend in Cheeses Jam Co., a nationally distributed preserve company — proof that her passion for transforming the harvest into something extraordinary runs deep. She has shared that expertise as a wine and cheese educator at Cabrillo College, De Anza College, and the Cheese School of San Francisco. Tabitha doesn't just work for the farmers of the Pajaro Valley and beyond — she lives in the community she serves. That connection to the land and the people who tend it is at the heart of everything Terroir in a Jar does.
Tabitha
Founder, Terroir in a Jar
