Crofter's Organics jams and preserves are sweetened with either organic fair trade cane sugar or organic white grape juice concentrate. (Sun Media)

Imagine if a vitamin came in the form of a spoon full of delicious preserve.

You''ll find that in any jar of Crofter's Organic jams, jellies and fruit products, where the company is particular about every single ingredient that goes into its food.

So the organic blueberries are wild-harvested near Lac St. John, north of Quebec, and the heritage fruit varieties like Senga Sengana strawberries, Williamette raspberries and Morello cherries are used for their full flavour profiles, dark rich colour — and excellent health benefits found in the fruit the preserves are made with. High in antioxidant qualities, bursting with vitamins and just plain goodness, a spoonful of Crofters certainly does go a long way, especially as the company goes out of its way to ensure the integrity of its organic label.

Crofter's Organic was founded in 1989 by Gerhard and Gabi Latka. The company, a true Canadian success story and considered the largest organic jam manufacturer in North america, is located on the shores of Georgian Bay in Parry Sound, and produces an extensive line of organic fruits, spreads, conserves and jellies which are distributed throughout Canada and the U.S.

Some of the items are sweetened with organic fair trade cane sugar and some sweetened with organic white grape juice concentrate (speaking of which, Crofter's fruit and spread contain about a third less sugar and half the calories than a regular preserve, jam or jelly).

In addition to traditional jams, the company also manufactures a number of unique flavours including Sicilian Blood Orange, Mango, Peach Passion Fruit and Pomegranate. Plus the new line of Crofter's "Superfruit" spreads are packed with such exotic fruits such as Chilean maqui berries and yumberries, all known for their powerful antioxidant qualities.

"From raw fruit to finished product, every detail is analytically examined by our in-house laboratory and quality managers, and every step of our production is methodically verified to ensure that the final product...meets all quality standards," said Gerhard Latka during a somewhat noisy tour of the Crofter's premises recently. So strong is he and his family's dedication to his label, a state-of-the-art laboratory manned by quality control expert John Warner is a hum of activity as the company keeps a tight rein on all manufacturing processes. "Our quality control procedures are second to none," says Latka, adding "incoming ingredients and outgoing products are subjected to stringent laboratory testing. Plus federal and organic inspectors regularly visit our HAACP-certified facility to verify compliance...we are committed to delivering premium, affordable, organic products backed by impeccable production methods and unmatched food safety standards."

Latka teases and says "so we're not from France, and we're not all tall and fancy and don't require a special extra-long spoon." But — heavens! Latka sure has produced a line of delicious products that are just about the next best thing to sliced bread.

Or perhaps perfect for your next slice of bread.

Crofters products are available in your favourite supermarket, grocery store or wherever you'll find organic food products. Check out croftersorganic.com for more info.

-Rita DeMontis

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