THE success of a Plymouth woman’s jam-making business is already starting to spread.

Sarah Greep only began Janner Jam from her home this year but the mum-of-two is now looking at how she can increase production.

Her strawberry jam, designed to go well with traditional Devon cream teas, is selling at the Barbican’s Tourist Information Centre and over the internet, with other outlets interested too.

And Mrs Greep is expecting increased interest next month after winning a batch of free radio adverts after winning a competition run by business start-up organisation Outset Plymouth.

“I can’t make it fast enough,” she said, explaining how she has a helper on standby incase bigger jam orders flood in.

Juggling a full-time job, raising a family and making Janner Jam, Mrs Greep said: “I do a full day’s work, come home and make jam. Last night I was making it until midnight.”

Mrs Greep got the idea for the business after she began working on another venture.

The Pulp project aims to find uses for fruit grown on domestic trees, which would otherwise go to waste.

But while that was getting off the ground Mrs Greep wanted to start “a simple, one-product” business.

“That’s when I thought of Janner Jam,” she said.

“I was born into a confectionery business. My grandfather had a stall in the pannier market called Good the Confectioner.

“He also had a shop in St Budeaux, I was born there.

“We used to make a lot of the chocolate products. I did that with my nan and other family members as a child.”

Now she is making 20 to 40 jars of jam at a go.

“At the moment it’s just strawberry, which is the main one people have with cream teas,” she said. “I want this to continue as a business that is always here for myself and my family to work in.”

And she is likely to get busier, especially as she has come up with the idea of a Janner Jam jam.

“An event for musicians to jam,” she said. “A community event with proceeds going to charity.”

Mrs Greep’s advert will be heard on Radio Plymouth throughout January.

She was selected from a shortlist of five by a judging panel consisting of representatives from Outset Plymouth, Outset Finance, The Herald and Radio Plymouth.

Mrs Greep wrote and performed her 20-second pitch and said: “I’m really excited. I only wrote it that morning. I’ve been doing things pretty close to deadline because I am so busy.”

Outset Plymouth’s marketing executive Kevin Kelway said Mrs Greep’s pitch “shone out”.

Outset Finance’s business finance adviser Rob Guy said the contest was a “fantastic way of developing our entrepreneurs”, and added: “I was impressed by the quality of all of them.”

Chris Savery, Radio Plymouth account manager, said: “They all had a good sense of what makes a good radio commercial – knowledge of your business and how to sell it in a concise way.”