Made in NJ: A Look at Jersey-Made Products

One of the things we at Hawk Haven are very passionate about is supporting our local environment, communities, and businesses. For starters, our award-winning wines are made with 100% Jersey-grown grapes, most of which comes from right here in Cape May County. Our wine pairing dinners feature local chefs and/or locally grown produce. We love the farm-to-table movement and some of the items on our Saturdays on the Crushpad menu are grown right here at the vineyard.

Hawk Haven Vineyard

We are always thrilled to see local businesses thrive, whether it be here in Cape May County or throughout the state of New Jersey. That’s why we’ve decided to do a little research and see what kinds of businesses and manufacturers are around here keeping things Jersey fresh. We think you’ll be just as pleasantly surprised as we were to find out how much of our everyday items are not just Made in the USA, but right here in NJ.

image from http://www.anewscafe.com

So the first business we want to highlight is located in the town of Towaco in Morris County, New Jersey. In 1928 a Camden physician created an all-natural nutricious chocolate syrup by the name of Bosco Syrup. Does anyone remember it? Bosco Chocolate Syrup was very popular in the 1950s-1970s and you can still find it on grocery store shelves today. There are also a few restaurants and delis serving Bosco Chocolate soda. I even read that it was used as fake blood in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and artist Vik Muniz did a few paintings using the famous syrup.

painting by Vik Muniz

If you’ve had Bosco Syrup, tell us what you thought, share your memories, let us know where you’ve found it. If you see it at the grocery store, buy a bottle and know that you’re supporting a New Jersey business. And if you know of any other New Jersey businesses or manufacturers that you’d like to see on our blog, we would love to hear your suggestions!

Anatomy of an Ad: Eat Local Drink Local (TM)

Everybody seems to be concerned about the little  blue planet these days.  At Hawk Haven, we are too.  I’m working on an ad/t-shirt concept that embodies our environmental sensibilities.

I try to eat local foods whenever I can.  I went to college in VT, so the “eat local” concept  is burned irreversibly into my brain.  The logic is that local food has less carbon expenditure per calorie because it traveled fewer miles from the farm to your mouth. 

Although people have internalized the “eat local” mentality, it’s very common to pair a plate-full of locally grown fruits and vegetables with a California  or even European wine.  We want people to realize there’s an environmentally friendly alternative: Hawk Haven’s, NJ grown and produced wines.

Check out the concept below.  The final image will be hand drawn and much prettier than my little concept below.  Would you wear a t-shirt with this image on it?  Do you think local wines are just as important as local foods?  Discuss… 

(TM)

Signing off from Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery in Cape May County, NJ - Cape May Wine Country ~ Cate Hylas