Fans' fury as Meghan Markle's new apricot spread oversells with disappointed customers who paid for orders left empty-handed and offered refunds instead
The Duchess of Sussex's jam was one of a raft of new products that sold out within an hour last month.
When available to buy, the sweet treat is $9 a jar or $14 when bought in special 'keepsake packaging'.
But some customers who won the race to buy the apricot spread, not officially called jam because of its high fruit content, have been informed them their order cannot be fulfilled. They will, however, be sent a free jar when it is back in stock.
It came as Meghan Markle picked fresh apricots from her garden in an Instagram post over the weekend. But eagle-eyed social media users soon noted that the fruit she had picked was a different colour, and much riper, than those still on the tree.
'Due to high demand, we are unable to fulfill your order of the apricot spread at this time. We are refunding the purchase of this item by the end of this week', an email from As Ever said.
'In addition to the refund, we want you to know that when the apricot spread is back in stock, you will be the first to receive it, free of charge'.
The decision has been maddening for some.
One customer said: 'Just received an email from As Ever, they are unable to fulfill my apricot order but will give me a full refund and a free replacement when it becomes available again. I only have a half a jar of my raspberry spread left. It's war tomorrow!!!'.
Another complained: 'I hope they fix this. At the minimum comms should be out literally on the day instead of waiting for your product for a while and being disappointed. Not a good customer experience even though the customer service is good after the fact'.
Some customers have been promised a refund and a free jar when it is back in stock
Despite the disappointment, a number of Meghan's fans, known collectively as the Sussex Squad, have urged the Duchess of Sussex to keep their money.
One wrote: 'I know most people will be sad getting this message but this makes me so happy! Meghan is selling out and I couldn't be happier for her!!
'I don't even want my refund, I just genuinely want Meghan to know she is so loved!'
Another said: 'I got this one this time around for the apricot spread but I'm good. I know it'll be sent out once available. I still got my crepe boxes and flower sprinkles. And yes, I'm soo happy for Meghan!'
Until the weekend, mystery surrounded exactly where the $9-a-jar spread s sold by the Duchess of Sussex under her As Ever brand are actually made.
On Sunday the Mail can reveal that the sweet treat is manufactured by the same US giant which sells her packs of herbal tea.
It also makes her sold-out orange blossom honey - priced at $28 a jar.
Additionally the factory makes a 'strawberry and wild rose' preserve as part of a tie-up with Bridgerton - the hit series set in Regency England made by Netflix, with whom the Sussexes also have a deal.
The firm - which has the decidedly un-Royal name The Republic of Tea - is headquartered in Larkspur, California, 350 miles away from Meghan's Montecito mansion.
However its factory is 2,000 miles away in Illinois.
With half-a-million visits to her As Ever website after the last 'product drop' on June 20, a tie-up with a commercial manufacturer was inevitable to satisfy customer demand.
Neither the Sussexes nor Netflix has yet confirmed exactly where the spread - currently marked on Meghan's website as 'coming soon' - is made, or where the raspberries are sourced.
But a source close to the Duchess said that in order to formulate the commercially available product, they 'started with the version Meghan makes at home and worked to develop a version of it that could be produced at scale.'
Nevertheless after months of marketing the preserve as an artisanal 'crafted' product, the truth will only increase scrutiny of the brand's sustainability credentials.
Her website describes her 'signature' raspberry jam as 'inspired by the recipe Meghan crafted in her home kitchen' – and also says it was deliberately ' crafted with a fluid texture '.
But a video shared by the Duchess shows that her spread is made in a factory, with fingers quickly pointed at The Republic of Tea, which also makes a fruit preserve.
Last week Mail Online revealed that it appears Meghan's hibiscus, lemon ginger and peppermint teas are made by the firm thanks to tell-tale metadata on the As Ever website.
Meghan's $12 tins of hibiscus tea contain 12 bags - three times as much as Republic of Tea's own product.
The Duchess has gone to great lengths to portray the preserve as an artisanal product. There was an enchanting video posted to her Instagram Stories showing a bubbling pot of the jam and featuring four-year-old Lilibet
Its 'Natural Hibiscus Tea Bags' retail at $11.50 for a tin of 36, working out at 32 cents per cup, albeit in differently-shaped bags.
Republic of Tea also makes jars of Bridgerton strawberry and wild rose tea fruit preserve, priced at $12 for a 306g jar - working out at around the same price per gram as Meghan's offering.
Its ingredients are listed as: 'Strawberries, cane sugar, wild rose syrup (custom rose tea blend, rosewater, cane sugar), lemon juice, fruit pectin.'
Meanwhile Meghan's As Ever raspberry spread - it is not, technically, a jam because of its high fruit content - is made from: 'Raspberries, organic pure cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate and fruit pectin'.
Meghan revealed for the first time in February that 'jam is my jam' – and recorded a video explaining why those who know her best are aware of her secret love of making jam.
When she first released 50 fruit spreads and sent them to her nearest and dearest friends she was careful to point out that each one was home made at her kitchen table using her own recipe.
On her Netflix show With Love, Meghan described harvesting berries in her kitchen, making small-batch jars, saying: 'I did save one of 50 for my mom.'
Meghan's As Ever products including her jam launched in April and rapidly sold out
Last night a source close to Meghan confirmed to the Daily Mail that Republic of Tea makes her As Ever raspberry spread but said the supplier was changing.
The firm also makes her sold-out orange blossom honey - priced at $28 a jar.
In a statement, US streaming giant Netflix said: 'Netflix and As Ever take pride in working with best-in-class vendors that meet our high standards for exceptional products.
'It's been exciting to see how much fans have embraced the As Ever product line, with the first two launches selling out so quickly.
'We're looking forward to continued success as we expand and release more As Ever products throughout the year and beyond.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
Del Monte Foods seeks buyer as it initiates US bankruptcy proceedings
July 1 (Reuters) - Del Monte Foods kicked off efforts to pursue a sale as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the United States on Tuesday under an agreement with certain key lenders, the company said in a statement. The company has secured $912.5 million in financing to support itself through the proceedings, it said, adding that it intends to remain open and continue operations throughout the bankruptcy. The 135-year old company hosts names like canned fruits and vegetables brand Del Monte, College Inn, under which it sells broth and stocks, and tea brands like Joyba. It listed estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion, according to a filing with the New Jersey bankruptcy court, while the number of creditors is estimated between 10,000 and 25,000. "This is a strategic step forward for Del Monte Foods. After a thorough evaluation of all available options, we determined a court-supervised sale process is the most effective way to accelerate our turnaround and create a stronger and enduring Del Monte Foods," CEO Greg Longstreet said. Certain of its non-U.S. subsidiaries are not included in the Chapter 11 proceedings and continue to operate as usual, Del Monte Foods said.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Clint Eastwood compared quitting 'addictive' affairs to giving up smoking after years of serial cheating ... according to new memoir
Clint Eastwood has never been shy about admitting his penchant for adultery, a book released today claims. The 95-year-old movie actor/director's extramarital trysts were reexamined in Clint: The Man and The Movies from author Shawn Levy, 63 (not to be confused with the 56-year-old Deadpool & Wolverine director/Ryan Reynolds pal). Eastwood spoke with Levy for the book about his romantic relationships throughout the years, and how he assumed his partners understood that affairs came with the territory of being in a romance with a perennial Hollywood A-lister. Among his most prominent romances Eastwood was involved in, include his respective marriages to Maggie Johnson, 93, from 1973-1979; and Dina Ruiz, 59, from 1996-2013. The filmmaker of classics such as Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River and Unforgiven was also in extended relationships with actresses including the late Sondra Locke; and Titanic star Frances Fisher, who he's still on good terms with. has reached out to Eastwood's lawyers for further comment on the story. Levy said of Eastwood in the book: 'By many accounts, including his own, he more or less comported himself as if he were a bachelor.' Johnson was in the know about Eastwood's serial cheating., the book stated. Eastwood chat with the publication Photoplay about the dynamics of his marriage to Photoplay. Eastwood explained: 'One thing Mag had to learn about me was that I was going to do as I pleased. She had to accept that, because if she didn't, we wouldn't be married. 'I'm independent, a vagabond, and [Johnson] accepts me as I am and doesn't strangle me with female possessiveness.' The actor compared quitting cheating to quitting smoking in Clint Eastwood: A Biography, a 1997 book from biographer Richard Schickel It 'just became… I don't know… addictive… like you have to have another cigarette,' he said. Eastwood had been in a romance with Christina Sandera from 2014 until her tragic passing at 61 last July. A logline from publisher Mariner Books calls the book 'a revelatory portrait' of Eastwood, who is described as 'the most prolific and versatile actor-director in movie history and an imposing icon of American culture for six decades.' The synopsis continued: 'Whether he's facing down bad guys on a Western street (Old West or new, no matter), staring through the lens of a camera, or accepting one of his movies' thirteen Oscars (including two for Best Picture), he is as blunt, curt, and solid as his name, a star of the old-school stripe and one of the most accomplished directors of his time, a man of rock and iron and brute force: Clint.' The logline noted that Eastwood's long life has directly correlated to 'American culture,' as 'no Hollywood figure has so completely and complexly stood inside the changing climates of post–World War II America. 'At age ninety-five, he has lived a tumultuous century and embodied much of his time and many of its contradictions.' The synopsis concluded: 'Clint: The Man and the Movies is a saga of cunning, determination, and conquest, a story about a man ascending to the Hollywood pantheon while keeping one foot firmly planted outside its door.' In June, the publisher posted a sneak peek at the book cover while commemorating the actor's latest birthday celebration. 'Wishing Clint Eastwood's a happy 95th birthday this week!' the publisher said. 'We are so thrilled to be bringing the definitive biography of this legendary actor and director to stores everywhere on July 1.' Eastwood's most recent film, the legal thriller Juror #2, arrived in theaters last November and made $24 million in global revenues, according to Box Office Mojo . A logline for the film read, 'While serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, a family man finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict or free the wrong killer.' The cast of the motion picture included Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette and J.K. Simmons.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
US, Indo-Pacific partners agree to strengthen maritime, critical minerals cooperation
The United States. Australia, India and Japan have agreed to expand their cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and further collaborate on supplies of critical minerals and rare earths that are key components of high-tech production. The foreign ministers of the four countries, known as the 'Quad,' met in Washington on Tuesday as the Trump administration seeks to expand U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific to compete with a rising China amid tensions with partners over trade and defense issues. In a joint meeting with his three colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad must be a 'vehicle for action' that goes beyond statements of intent and stressed that commerce and trade will be critical to ensuring the group's relevance in the future. To that end, the four announced in a statement the creation of a 'Quad Critical Minerals Initiative' that aims 'to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains.' The statement did not provide details of the initiative. 'We are deeply concerned about the abrupt constriction and future reliability of key supply chains, specifically for critical minerals,' they said. 'This includes the use of non-market policies and practices for critical minerals, certain derivative products, and mineral processing technology.' The statement did not mention China by name, but Chinese domination of the critical minerals supply chain has long been a concern of the U.S. and others. The ministers expressed specific concern about rising tensions in the East and South China Seas, where Beijing has become increasingly assertive of maritime and territorial claims that are rejected by its smaller neighbors. 'We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,' they said. 'We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea.' The ministers also condemned North Korea for continuing to launch ballistic missiles, expand its nuclear weapons program and engage in malicious cyberactivity. In a veiled reference to North Korean support for Russia in its war against Ukraine, they expressed 'deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime.'
