Latest news with #apricotspread
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle forced to issue refunds after another As Ever website blunder frustrates shoppers
Meghan Markle was forced to issue a bunch of refunds to frustrated shoppers after yet another website stock error left customers without their $14 apricot spread. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, promised free replacement jars to her loyal buyers — just weeks after her website experienced a similar blunder with its $28 honey. '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,' a message from the 'Suits' alum read. The lifestyle company assured customers that they would be 'the first to receive it, free of charge' once stock becomes available. The popular apricot spread, which sold within an hour of it going live, retails for $9 a pop, with the special keepsake packaging on sale for $14. Needless to say, some customers were less than pleased when they were greeted with a 404 error message after entering their card details. '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,' one person wrote on X. 'I only have a half a jar of my raspberry spread left. It's war tomorrow!!!' Another person wrote on X, '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.' However, other shoppers praised Markle's excellent customer service.'A refund and the product for free when it restocks? That's top tier customer service ,' one person wrote on X. While another added on X, 'I don't even want my refund, I just genuinely want Meghan to know she is so loved!' The apricot spread had become a fan-favorite ever since Markle teased it on her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan.' The spread, which is not called jam due to its lowered sugar content, is manufactured by the Republic of Tea, a US company headquartered in Larkspur, California, with its factory located 2,000 miles away in Illinois. The company also produces Markle's pricy orange blossom honey. The latest As Ever drop included several newbie items, notably the former royal's hotly-awaited Rosé line. The 2023 Napa Valley Rosé launched Tuesday, but only offered customers the chance to purchase either three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159 and 12 bottles for $300. 'This debut rosé marks the beginning of As Ever's thoughtful expansion into wine, with a Méthode Champenoise Napa Valley sparkling wine planned for the near future and additional varietals to follow,' a spokesperson told The Post. The wine range, which is produced by Fairwinds Estate in Napa Valley, saw Markle reportedly spend months developing the blend and conducting taste tests.
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Meghan Markle forced to issue ‘As Ever' refunds
Meghan Markle was forced to issue a bunch of refunds to frustrated shoppers after yet another website stock error left customers without their $14 apricot spread. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, promised free replacement jars to her loyal buyers — just weeks after her website experienced a similar blunder with its $28 honey. 'Due to high demand, we are unable to fulfil your order of the apricot spread at this time. We are refunding the purchase of this item by the end of this week,' a message from the royal read. The lifestyle company assured customers that they would be 'the first to receive it, free of charge' once stock becomes available. The popular apricot spread, which sold within an hour of it going live, retails for $9 a pop, with the special keepsake packaging on sale for $14. Needless to say, some customers were less than pleased when they were greeted with a 404 error message after entering their card details. 'Just received an email from As Ever, they are unable to fulfil my apricot order but will give me a full refund and a free replacement when it becomes available again,' one person wrote on X. 'I only have a half a jar of my raspberry spread left. It's war tomorrow!!!' Another person wrote on X, '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.' However, other shoppers praised Markle's excellent customer service. 'A refund and the product for free when it restocks? That's top tier customer service,' one person wrote on X. While another added on X, 'I don't even want my refund, I just genuinely want Meghan to know she is so loved!' The apricot spread had become a fan-favourite ever since Markle teased it on her Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan.' The spread, which is not called jam due to its lowered sugar content, is manufactured by the Republic of Tea, a US company headquartered in Larkspur, California, with its factory located 2,000 miles away in Illinois. The company also produces Markle's pricey orange blossom honey. The latest As Ever drop included several newbie items, notably the former royal's hotly-awaited Rosé line. The 2023 Napa Valley Rosé launched Tuesday, but only offered customers the chance to purchase either three bottles for $90, six bottles for $159 and 12 bottles for $300. 'This debut rosé marks the beginning of As Ever's thoughtful expansion into wine, with a Méthode Champenoise Napa Valley sparkling wine planned for the near future and additional varietals to follow,' a spokesperson told The Post. The wine range, which is produced by Fairwinds Estate in Napa Valley, saw Markle reportedly spend months developing the blend and conducting taste tests.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fans' fury as Meghan Markle's new apricot spread oversells with disappointed customers who paid for orders left empty-handed and offered refunds instead
Meghan Markle's As Ever apricot spread has been oversold with disappointed customers threatening 'war' after being offered refunds instead, MailOnline can reveal today. 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.'
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
America's queen of jams savages Meghan Markle's latest 'As Ever' fruit spread: 'There's no excuse for this'
The Duchess of Sussex may have set the tills ringing with the latest 'As Ever' merchandise, but her new apricot spread has been savaged by critics – within hours of going on sale. Champion jam-maker Donna Collins said: 'It's a real disappointment that Meghan is selling a fruit spread, which is what you make when your jam fails. In the jam industry a spread is what we call something that didn't work. 'It can have the best ingredients, but if I had a jam that was too runny, I'd slap a label on it and call it a spread. There's no excuse for this. It should be perfect.' Ms Collins, who owns Jelly Queens jam company and has won more than 40 world championship honours in jam-making competitions, also queried the ingredients in Meghan's spread. The jars, sold in keepsake packaging for £10 or plain for £7, list conventionally grown apricots, dried organic apricots, organic pure cane sugar and fruit pectin. 'Why should she include conventionally grown apricots, which will have used pesticides?' said Ms Collins. 'And why is she using pectin, which is a gelling agent, unless it's because her spread was too runny? Most spreads don't use pectin.' Meghan launched her 'As Ever' brand in April with a raspberry spread, which critics attacked for being ill-suited for spreading on bread or toast. Many fans who jumped online the moment Meghan's 'As Ever' products went up for sale on Friday were disappointed to learn the apricot spread had sold out. Ms Collins added: 'Her apricot spread sold out in minutes, just like her earlier raspberry spread, which may mean they only made a small batch. 'I don't know who's making her spread, but we all know it's not Meghan. It sounds like they really don't know what they are doing.' Maureen Foley, owner of Red Hen Cannery near Montecito, said she suspected Meghan wanted to make a spread to take advantage of marketing opportunities. 'She may be smart trying to fill a niche,' said Ms Foley. 'Spreads can be sweet or savoury, and used on dishes for all meals, so perhaps it's just clever marketing.'
