When Josh Friedlander's grandmother tasted his first batch of homemade jam, he knew he had something special. “When your grandma approves the jam, you know it's good," says Friedlander, the 15-year-old founder and CEO of Jam by Josh LLC.

What started as a pandemic project in 2020 has evolved into a thriving business across Northeast Ohio—moving from his grandmother’s endorsement to selling jams at farmers markets in Geauga County to landing shelf space at Miles Road Farmers Market at the end of his sixth grade year, at the age of 12.

Sprouting early

Now a sophomore at Solon High School, Friedlander’s entrepreneurial journey began with developing his love of cooking and gardening.

"I've always enjoyed being in the kitchen ever since I was just two or three, standing on the step stool, stirring the pot," he says, adding that his early culinary education included summer camps at Sur La Table, where he dominated the Chopped-style competitions.

When COVID-19 hit, Friedlander channeled his passion into teaching virtual cooking classes. "I wanted to create something that could bring people together when I physically had to be apart from them," he explains.

Friedlander taught thousands of kids that summer and used the proceeds to build a 3,000-square-foot garden in his backyard.

The jam-making began after Friedlander had excess produce in his garden. So, he learned canning techniques via YouTube and started selling to friends and teachers before hitting the Farmers markets.

Today, Jam By Josh offers five permanent flavors: blueberry, strawberry, mango, spiced peach, and the popular berry medley—a mix of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Seasonal varieties include blackberry and apricot.

This summer, Friedlander has been working with Destination Cleveland to create a new 216 Berry Blend—a combination of cherries, blackberries, and strawberries—which should be available by the end of the summer.

“I'm particularly excited about it, as it's a collaboration with Destination Cleveland to create a unique ‘Cleveland blend,’” he says. “It’ll be available in stores and on my website, of course. Because it has the Cleveland aspect, I’m [going to] try to target hotels and other travel agencies to see if they’ll put it into gift baskets when people come to Cleveland.” 

What sets Jam by Josh’s products apart is Friedlander’s focus on natural ingredients. "When I think of store-bought jams or the mass-market brands, I think of a fruit-flavored high fructose corn syrup," he explains. "This is actually jam—the first ingredient is fruit, and it has about half the amount of sugar compared to the mass market brands."

Continuing to grow

Business is booming for Friedlander. His jams can now be found at Meijer Fairfax Market and other select Meijer stores, Dave's Market on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, Miles Farmers Market, Lucky's Market, and all five area Market Districts starting Aug. 1, almost every Buehler’s location, and Cleveland in a Box. Discussions to carry Jam by Josh are currently underway with Heinen's.

The operation has outgrown its current commercial kitchen space at Cleveland Central Kitchen, and Friedlander is preparing to move to a 13,000-square-foot facility in Bedford in August.

"When I do anything, I have to do it in the biggest way possible," he admits, adding that he has a clear vision for his company's future. "My end goal is to be a lifestyle brand," he says, citing Smucker's as inspiration. "I want everyone to know the Jam by Josh name, but I want them to think of us as a healthier alternative."

Friedlander maintains an impressive work ethic while balancing his business with his education and social life. "When I'm in the kitchen, I could be there for 12- or 14-hour days, and it feels like 20 minutes to me," he says, adding that he still tends to his extensive garden—having spent about 60 hours planting roughly 2,000 plants this summer.

“When I do have free time, I try to spend it with friends,” he says, “Because I'm 15 years old, I have to have a social life.”

The local business community has noticed Friedlander's success. He recently won first place in the CWRU Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship’s 2025 Small Business Track thinkBIG! Challenge, Northeast Ohio's largest student business competition, beating out more than 300 other entries.

He credits much of his recent growth to mentorship from successful local entrepreneurs like Ethan Holmes, who also started his Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce at age 15, has helped connect Friedlander with buyers and industry professionals.

For this teenage entrepreneur, making jam isn't just a business—it's a passion that's spreading joy one jar at a time. "I've never really thought about jam as being a job," Friedlander says. "This is my kind of fun."