In April, the Duchess of Sussex sent out homemade jam in gift baskets to some of her friends and allies. Those friends quickly posted their jam-baskets on Instagram. The whole jam-basket thing was seen as Meghan soft-launching her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which already has an Instagram account and dozens of trademark filings. But since April, we’ve only gotten one update – Meghan sent raspberry jam and dog biscuits to Nacho Figueras, and he posted his gifts on his IG Stories around the same time as the Princess of Wales’s grand reemergence during Trooping the Colour. The timing really bothered the keen camp, and “sources” promptly declared that Meghan and her jam were “absolutely pathetic” for stealing Kate’s thunder. But again… nothing is being sold yet! We want to spend money on jam! Sell something, please! Well, according to Us Weekly’s new exclusive, Meghan is very happy with how her ARO launch is going thus far.
Meghan Markle‘s American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand is off to the races.
“The rollout for American Riviera Orchard is already off to a strong start. The website has over 100,000 who have signed up to hear about the first products launched,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Meghan is very pleased with the early interest it has gained.”
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, quietly announced the brand’s launch in March by debuting an official Instagram account. (Meghan previously shuttered her personal social media pages ahead of marrying Prince Harry in 2018.) At the time, Us confirmed that Meghan filed trademarks for the brand to sell cutlery, cookbooks and jarred foods. The United States Patent and Trademark Office accepted the patent requests.
“[She] is so excited to see how people enjoy her products and use them in their everyday lives,” the insider adds.
American Riviera Orchard’s first product was strawberry jam, which Meghan sent to an array of her celebrity friends.
“This jam is my jam,” Abigail Spencer, Meghan’s former Suits costar and longtime friend, wrote via Instagram in April. “A delicious taste of what’s to come indeed. Love you so M.”
I wonder if everything is being coordinated with Meghan’s new Netflix lifestyle/cooking show, as in, ARO will debut online and in stores (???) concurrently with the debut of the Netflix show? Is that the plan? Could be. But given the months of hype and the jam-baskets, I really hoped that she would have already put *something* out there already. We don’t even have a release date for the Netflix show!
Photos courtesy of Archewell, Instagram.
I dreamt of living Harry and Meghan’s “flop” era. Okay, I’ll take 10%. Can’t wait to buy whatever it is she’ll be selling That’s all.
The fallout from that “Flop” article in the Guardian must have been quite something.
Arwa Mahdawi locked her Xwitter account and the Guardian’s post with the link to that article was ratioed heavily, with quite a few Squaddies below the line getting a lot more likes than the original post.
Arwa Mahwadi’s been negative about the Sussexes and Meghan before, even her podcast, very strange from someone who writes the week in patriarchy column.
Someone who’s actually against the patriarchy would not quote the Fail.
I thought there was something about late spring in the ARO launch timeline? That may have just been wishful thinking. I was really hoping for some sort of product offering by June, but I’m sure it will be well worth the wait.
That was just a tabloid that said that. There has never been an official date set.
That timeline was never confirmed by Meghan’s team. It was pushed out by the tabloids who pretend to know what’s going on with Harry and Meghan.
Actually, on the red carpet of the Variety Power Of Women award back in November 2023, M told the interviewer that she was very excited about all the products theyre working on and she cant wait to start unveiling them “later in the spring.”
So I, for one, had been waiting with baited breath since the start of and up to the final days of spring (spring ended June 21) to see if ARO would be fully launched. In any event, altho we’re still waiting for the full monty, M was true to her word, as ARO’s IG and website were soft launched at the very beginning of spring, on March 14. Since then, like everyone else, I hv been looking to see the full launch: tv and print interviews; fully populated IG & Website; Netflix Cooking Show……etc.
But I also noted the other things that both H&M were doing, especially H, knowing that M wouldnt unveil anything before, during or after any week in which H had activities. And as we all know, H has been very busy since before, during and after their Nigeria trip in May.
Consider the ESPYs , for example: after it was announced nearly two weeks ago, I resigned myself to the fact that nothing about ARO would be announced before July 15. And since thats so close to the end of July, i’m thinking that we prolly wont see the launch activities until the official/traditional ‘middle of the summer’ which is formally Aug 1-6.
So…………not much longer now!!! 🙂
I don’t think she said products, she said project.
It makes sense using the netflix show to promote the products she is gonna sell. It is possible they had to announce ARO early because the trademarks they were applying for are public record. So, they announced it themselves before the media writing hundred of articles about it. The free promotion they are giving to her is incredible. She is gonna make money either way. I am sure all these royal reporters are gonna try her products on video like some instagram influencer.
All the negative videos are made already, they’re just waiting to plug in the products 🤣🤣
I concur. Doing a cooking show and making jam or using mixes she may sell, or using utensils, cookware or even linens she may sell. It is business-wise really smart.
I wonder if her team factors in to their advertising budget the Streisand effect of the british media toddler tantrums and how that raises the profile and demand for her products. The insanity of the royal family/pr team (aka “media) will probably save a ton of ARO money from their advertising budget.
I hope she’ll release everything, show products & have those hit the shops, when people least expect it. Looking forward to that! Oh the salty tears that will be spilled on that island…
… and I hope she ships to Europe too.
Not necessarily the jam, as getting food stuff through customs is tricky, but maybe her kitchen gadgets.
Or, if she’s planning to release something like that, a line of scents — with maybe candles, EdT, EdP.
She could make a candle called “This smells like a musty old British church”. Or rock salt called “Tears of my in-laws”.
Pam, lmao.
I don’t think her products will be widely available. I agree with some online peeps that say that she is following the Flamingo Estate model.
Looks as if they gathered a few bits of info that were public and made up the rest. I doubt they have an inside source.
I’ve never seen the Instagram page or her sending jam to certain friends as a “soft launch” of ARO. I think that people who scour the internet for anything associated to Meghan found the Instagram page prematurely before it was supposed to be connected to her and instantly started expecting something that was never meant to be shared so soon. She initially sent jam to 50 people and I don’t think that everyone she sent it to has an instagram account or would post about this gift on social media. I don’t think her intention was to have 50 people post about her jam. I think she was just sending baskets of jam to friends so they could try her new product and personally give her their feedback. I think some of them posted the gift because that’s just what they do sometimes. I think people outside of the circle of friends got wind of the Instagram page and the sample of friends who posted the photos and overreacted and assumed that she was doing a “soft launch”. Meghan always makes sure everything is complete and ready before she gives a completed product. This would be no different.
You could be right. We should also remember that neither Meghan or anyone on her team have made any official announcements about ARO. It will launch when it is ready and I wish her every success.
I mean, in *March* the website asked for our email addresses and there’s been nothing since. I’m actually kind of disappointed.
Even if products aren’t available yet, send an update or something.
I never knew how desperately I needed Jam until I saw it and couldn’t purchase it. I need Jam🍓
I have placed my jam money in diversified investments, ready to buy SO MUCH jam whenever it’s available.
Excited for ARO ❤️
For years I have purchased things from the shops associated with Buckingham Palace and The Royal Collection. Those shops are like museum shops, proceeds support historic preservation. Often, the items are unusual and of good quality. I have a replica of Queen Elizabeth II’s flower basket brooch, the one she was given when Charles was born. I’ve had hyacinth-scented body cream, and I have a nice Platinum Jubilee bookbag. They also sell cookies, jam, tea, and booze. Yet the Royal Family through their surrogates waste no time criticizing Meghan’s business endeavors. I loathe hypocrisy. If Meghan sells something I want, chances are I’ll buy.
We don’t even have confirmation that Meghan will be selling jam.
Sorry but over priced jam? She can do better…
How do you know the price of her products? What’s the point of criticising before anything is actually released?
We can make an educated guess based on the working theory that she is trying to create something similar to Flamingo Estate. We are more likely than not looking at $80 jam, $100 soap, etc. I’ll still buy it, but I also get Jillibean’s point.
@Mina_esq no it’s not an educated guess, there is no evidence at all for what you are saying. You are just making things up based on unsubstantiated online gossip!
Where is this ‘working theory’ stemming from? An ‘educated guess’ based on a ‘working theory’? ?????? Will you really still buy it if you believe it’s overpriced? Even after saying you get Jilliebean’s point. Jilliebean’s point? being Meghan’s jam is overpriced though we don’t know the price or quality yet? Or, if Meghan is selling jam? LOL. Look up manufacturers of things sold in the palaces gift stores. Talk about overpricing.
I might very well be wrong (at least I’ll admit that), I won’t buy $80 dollar jam from anyone unless it promised me all sorts of things, like, having healthy looking skin like Meghan and being able to do yoga like her.
I’ll correct myself, I might very well buy $80 jam, just to p*ss some people off and to support Meghan. Crossing fingers it’s less than that. More than happy to replace my Goldbelly extravagances with ARO purchases.
We don’t know what she’s going to sell. So perhaps you should reserve judgement until she’s actually selling something.
What judgment? We’re talking about jam! Relax, it’s not that serious. And I think it’s common knowledge that M likes Flamingo Estate and that the whole aesthetics of the ARO is very similar.
I don’t blame people for getting a bit irritated at these kinds of comments considering people who hate Meghan are *still* sending all sorts of hatred and violence to people like Nacho Figueras because he dared to post a picture of the jam during Trooping.
The message that “it’s just jam” needs to be drilled in the heads of others, not the ones here, lol.
MM i wonder if its going to be a recipe book of things made on the show plus utensils etc that way the complete their 4book deal
Lili, H&M’s team have never confirmed the rumor that there is a 4-book deal, which was put out there by the bm. We know that the bm tend to just make stuff up and print it.
@Saucy&Sassy, stahp. If Becky English put it out there years ago, it must totally be true! /s I’m dying that anyone is trying to connect a recipe/cookbook to the rumored 4 book deal from 2021! without deets. Smells like teen spirit or BM sewage. Or, both?
Does anyone know when Archetypes is starting up again? I know Meghan is doing a cooking show but I thought, just because Archetypes going to Lemonada was announced earlier than news of ARO or the Netflix show, that the podcast would come back first.
JJ, when they announce that it will be available. Until then, I’m sure the bm will once again pretend they know something they don’t and print lies.
Archetypes has been re-released in all podcast platforms a few months ago. So I wouldn’t expect the new podcast to come out this year.
Lemonada announced new eps would come in 2025
I don’t know if she is doing a season two or a completely new podcast.
How has ARO even been soft launched? It’s not for sale anywhere. At best, they’ve just done some gift baskets for influencers. I don’t get this story at all.
amy, the bm needs to fill columns, so they make up whatever they want. This is just more of the same.
It makes sense that Meghan’s ARO products would launch with her cooking show. It always would make sense for Netflix’s to launch the cooking show for the Fall, Winter season, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thus it also makes sense for Meghan’s podcast to launch in 2025. Maybe in January when the holiday season is over and we are spending more time at home due to winter.
My guess is something will be launched in the next month. IG is coming up in February and there is still the podcast on the horizon. Plus the TV shows on Netflix. So August would be a good time, maybe to coincide with Meghan’s birthday.
I love the jam, im jumping on the ARO wagon, and the show, but seriously, the way they timed the release of the info or the huge laps of time where we are not getting info is starting to get on my nerves. I need a date!
While it’s (OK, annoyingly) frustrating to be teased by her ARO IG and a few pics of homemade jam only to have to hurry up and wait for MONTHS – ugh – in a way I don’t blame her at all. Every thing she does, no matter how insignificant, causes tidal waves of outrage and gets picked apart to death by the royalists and trash media. I’m sure her thinking is to have all the ARO ducks in a tight row before she releases anything at all because the reactions, jealous fits and accusations will be massive. I just hope all of us Celebitches can snag a jam of jar or SOMETHING before it’s all sold out forever and ever.
Marketing research and testing the market to see what the derangers come up with, most importantly her waited consumers and fix it accordingly. Marketing win in my opinion.
I LOVE the elegant font and label design!
Also, I can't help imagining Megan just ROFL'ing at every dead wrong guess and unfounded assumption the British media make about her brand strategy and ARO's launch! 😆