12 Highlights going into 2021

2020 was a year of societal turmoil, political unrest, and of course, sicknesses. Everyone, Jack included, is starting 2021 with the hope that things will change for the better. But before we do, we want to share Jack's highlights in a dark year.

Flying start for Jack’s Balls

Jack started the year like a rocket. In just one month, Kaline, Marjolein, Maarten, Jan, and Hana doubled the sales of the best month of 2019. The year looked promising. 

If jackfruit bitterballen and gyros were such a hit, what other types of products would people love? And so, the team set out on a research & development spree in search of the next product to add to Jack's lineup. 

Jack found himself a brand guardian

With sales going up, the team got all types of positive feedback about Jack. And, of course, that feedback came hand-in-hand with lots and lots of questions. Jack's challenge became making sure the team got the world to see him as a fruit for meat lovers.

We were making progress, but Jack felt that to go even faster, he needed to take a step to get his story straight. Said and done, Jack went out and brought Maja into the mix. A food-loving, yoga-practicing, and get things done type, who knows a thing or two about developing a personal brand. She gladly joined the team, becoming Jack's biggest promoter, and now safeguards Jack's image on his road to food stardom.

It takes a unique style to build a brand

To become a food star, you need to look the part. So Jack went in search of a stylist. Not in a thousand years would Jack have guessed his match would be a designer from Siberia! 

Elena is an artistic soul, yes, from Siberia. She believes that to understand something, you first need to visualize it. She has made it her life’s mission to help people bring their inspirational stories to life with award-winning designs. She jumped at the chance of becoming the team's design mind, or as Jack likes to call her: Make Fruit Pop Artist.

What does a fruit do during a lockdown? It cooks

April was a month behind doors. Jack's world completely closed down. So he decided to hope for the best but work harder to prepare for what could come.

Jack got into the kitchen and cooked. He soaked jackfruit in traditional Indonesian herbs to create jackfruit rendang. A ready-to-use product for chefs to heat up and serve the way they like best. A guilt-free treat that has quickly become a fan favorite.

Jack discovered the beauty of being structured

New products, more of them in the making, and a team growing. May's challenge was how to bring it all together. And that's when Jack decided to bring on an Operations Guy.

Angel is one of those that believes that slow & steady wins the race. At first glance, a complete opposite to the rest of Jack's team. But we couldn't hold him back when Jack challenged him to design a team that was both fast & steady.

Think international

If the lockdown taught Jack anything, it was to be on the lookout for new opportunities. So when the opportunity presented itself to explore the German market, he grabbed it with both hands. 

A two-month journey filled with new friends and vegan food lessons in ProVeg’s International incubator program finished with an investor demo day in Berlin. Jack's story was in good hands, with Marjolein & Kaline owning the stage and networking their way into new German connections. 

Doors open to a record month

Jack made sure that the team was ready for when the restaurants were up and running in July. Chefs looking for jackfruit did their best to get their hands on Jack's 'primal cuts' made from fresh, unripe jackfruits.

A record month in jackfruit sales, that we hope to make the norm in 2021.

Jack was spotted in the news on RTL Z

Kaline & Marjolein fell in love with Jack in Bali. They made a promise to introduce Jack to the world. Three years into it, you could say they're on the right track. Jack now has: 

🍈 Its jackfruit supply chain;

🍈 7-delicious jackfruit products;

🍈 Met 30+ restaurants in Amsterdam alone;

🍈 Sold over 20.000 kg of raw jackfruit;

🍈 A shelf in well-known wholesale stores.  

And to top it all off, in August, he made his TV screen debut. Did you spot Jack on the RTL Z news? It was a beautiful highlight reel of Kaline & Marjolein in Jack's startup journey. If you missed it, take a look. 

Sam in the top-100 food innovators in The Netherlands

Sam is a Concept Creation Chef with 3x capital C. Jack was one proud fruit when he saw all of Sam's efforts experimenting and developing sustainable food land him a place amongst the top-100 food innovators in the country. Go, Sam!

Grab it & spread it

Jack's original plan was to conquer the hearts of meat lovers through delicious guilt-free street food. But he decided to take a small sidestep when he realized just how much the Dutch love their lunchtime bread. 

Several days in the kitchen and voila, not one, but two delicious spreads for those Dutchies that tend to live on the run. The first is a spicy jackfruit curry spread called Jack's Jeannette. And the second, a jackfruit satay aka Jack Goes Nuts. Both set to hit the stores in 2021.

Jack is ready for the supermarkets

Jack came to The Netherlands to pursue his dream of becoming an international food star. From the moment he arrived, he went toe to toe against the culinary greats of the day, such as bitterballen, croquettes, burgers, or gyros. He has quickly earned himself a reputation as a guilt-free pleasure food for meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans alike.

The time has come to meet his fans on the shelves of their favorite supermarket. So, we wrote a letter to supermarkets to introduce himself and arrange some tasting sessions. Which supermarket will be the first to put Jack on their shelves? Stay tuned. More to come during the first quarter of 2021.

We left the best for last!

December was a crazy month. With the restaurants closed down, all our energy went into getting Jack's retail product line ready at record speed. Fine-tuning recipes, designing new packaging, and most importantly, building new partnerships.

We left the best highlight for the end. We are so happy to announce that Jack had found new partners in Valio Hamburg and V&S Food Specialist. 

Jackfruit Supplier + Food Producer + Meet Jack Brand = Fruitful 2021! ‍

Thanks for following Jack!

Jack's Team