Name: Spicy Tomato Savoury Spread
Brand: SaltSpring Kitchen Co.
Price: 10.4 CAD
Availability: InStock

The Shops at The Jam Factory on Salt Spring Island

A Place Where Salt Spring Island Comes for Specialty Food

Tucked along Upper Ganges Road, The Jam Factory has become a small but steady landmark for anyone who loves good food on Salt Spring Island.

The property gathers a handful of independent shops—each with its own character—into one easy stop for pastries, specialty groceries, fresh bread, ready-made meals, ice cream, coffee, and gifts.

Locals swing by for their weekly staples; visitors often discover it by accident and end up staying longer than planned. From wood-fired sourdough and small-batch preserves to European-style provisions and handmade ice cream, The Jam Factory is a place to taste, browse, and bring home something delicious.

Some places grow slowly and quietly until one day they’ve become part of the rhythm of an island.

The Jam Factory is like that. It began as an auto mechanics building, which later shared the property with our warehouse. Now it anchors a small collection of small food businesses that pull people in for their own reasons: organic sourdough bread still warm from a wood-fired oven, a freezer stocked with handmade ice cream, a fridge filled with ready-made meals that infuse the air with spices, or shelves of gourmet jams and preserves with specialty groceries from down the road and around the world.

The property we call The Jam Factory sits near the middle of the island, easy to reach, with free parking and a view across a valley that changes colour through the seasons.

On any foggy morning or sunny afternoon, it’s one of the simplest places to experience the talent and creativity that make Salt Spring Island such a distinctive place to live, eat, and visit.

SaltSpring Kitchen Company - The Jam Factory and Tasting Room on Salt Spring Island Exterior with Melanie Mulherin

SaltSpring Kitchen Co. Tasting Room

The Tasting Room was a long-time dream of our Founder, Melanie Mulherin, and we opened this space in 2023. When people step inside, they wander a moment to take it all in. There are shelves filled with gourmet jams, preserves, hot sauces, and more, a long counter where tastings take place, and everything feels warm and inviting.

Our sweet little shop is stocked the way a home cook’s dream pantry might look: cheeses, local meats, European crackers, beautiful preserves, pantry staples, and a rotating selection of small-batch foods from producers who care about ingredients as much as we do. There are kitchen items that elevate a table without trying too hard, gifts that feel considered, and treats that don’t always make it to the car.

We brew Drumroaster Coffee and Westholme Teas, serve seasonal drinks, and switch to slushies in the warmer months—an island favourite. Some people come to taste their way through our lineup. Others come for a last-minute piece of cheese, a host gift, or inspiration for a weekend dinner. It’s a casual, friendly stop that often turns into a linger.

Woodshed Provisions

Walking into Woodshed Provisions feels a little like stepping into a small grocery shop somewhere in Europe. Every surface offers something fresh, fragrant, and ready to carry home. Chef Haidee Hart has built a reputation on Salt Spring Island for food that feels generous, comforting, and rooted in the seasons. The shop reflects that spirit completely.

Fridges glow with soups, curries, salads, lasagnas, grain dishes, braises, and desserts made the way you wish you had time to cook for yourself. The scent changes each week depending on the menu. One visit might bring the warmth of Moroccan spices; another might centre on autumn squash, slow-cooked meats, citrus, or herbs gathered from nearby gardens.

Haidee’s catering is well-known across the island. Her installations are works of abundance and warmth. Platters layered with farm-grown produce, cheeses, charcuterie, fresh herbs, flowers, linens, and small details that make a gathering feel cared for. She tells stories with her food and sources ingredients from farmers, foragers, and producers she knows personally.

Weekly pre-order menus give a glimpse into her kitchen rhythm. One week might offer a tagine with grass-finished beef, local squash, apricots, and hand-ground spices, paired with herbed couscous. Another might highlight roasted squash with pomegranate and whipped feta, carrot soups brightened with citrus, or cheesecakes topped with delicately poached fruit. It’s the type of cooking that fills a home with comfort without asking you to spend hours in the kitchen.

Woodshed might be the place people visit last at The Jam Factory, so they can go straight home and eat.

Francis Bread

Francis Bread begins long before sunrise, with bakers shaping and tending loaves in a quiet room warmed by a wood-fired oven. Their bread and pastries would fit easily into a bakery in a major city, yet they live here, on a small island, carried out in paper bags by regulars who know exactly which days their favourite loaf appears.

They bake naturally leavened sourdough using organic BC-grown grains milled in Cowichan Bay, along with carefully sourced dairy, cheeses, fruits, and charcuterie from trusted producers. The results are honest, flavourful, and deeply satisfying. Ingredients matter to them, and they make choices that reflect years of work in small-scale, quality-driven baking.

Their pastries—especially the croissants—have earned a reputation that travels well beyond Salt Spring Island. Flavours change often, reflecting what’s in season or simply what inspires them. Locals check the menu online early in the week, plan their visit, and arrive ready to carry their favourites home.

Francis Bread keeps a schedule that balances resource use with the realities of bakery life. Four days of baking feed the island without wasting wood or ingredients; the remaining days give the team time to rest and maintain their standards. It’s a slow, thoughtful rhythm that suits this place.

Mavericks Coffee + Ice Cream

Tucked in between Woodshed and us, Mavericks offers an entirely different mood, relaxed, bright, and instantly nostalgic. The smell of espresso drifts out the door, and in summer, the line for ice cream wraps toward the parking lot.

Chef Daniel Crossin, who has cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens around the world, leads recipe development. His flavours highlight local fruit, seasonal ingredients, and a commitment to craft that shows in every scoop. House-made waffle cones appear in warmer months and feel like summer in your hands.

Mavericks serves Bows Coffee from Victoria and keeps things simple: excellent espresso drinks, small-batch ice cream, sorbets, frozen yogurt, ice cream bars, and cakes. It’s a favourite stop for families, cyclists, morning walkers, and anyone who wants something that reminds them of warm summer days.

The Jam Factory has a way of slowing people down. Free parking makes the stop easy, and the view from the picnic tables encourages lingering. In the summer, the property comes alive with outdoor music through our partnership with Pitchfork Social, drawing locals and visitors into the long evening light.

People come for bread, meals, pastries, cheese, gifts, or coffee. They end up staying because they feel nourished. Every business here works independently but shares the same intention: good food made by people who love what they do.

Holiday Market — December 5, 4–7 PM

To celebrate the season, we’re hosting an outdoor Holiday Market at The Jam Factory on December 5 from 4 to 7 PM. Local artisans will set up outside, shops will stay open, and guests can wander with warm drinks, taste new favourites, and pick up gifts before the holidays.

It’s a good evening for connecting with island makers and enjoying the kind of small, thoughtful shopping that feels right for this time of year.

The vendors this year:

SaltSpring Kitchen Co.
Francis Bread
Woodshed Provisions
Mavericks Treats
South End Sausage
Salt Spring Sea Salt
Pacific Puzzles
Atelier Jacobsen Jensen
Culture Salon
Ocean Arts Studio

Plus an outdoor mini market with additional vendors, hot apple cider & fresh pretzels.

Why This Place Matters, Especially in Winter

Salt Spring Island is full of creative businesses, and Winter is when support matters most. Visiting The Jam Factory keeps bakers baking, chefs cooking, and makers making. It keeps staff working and shelves full. It helps small businesses stay steady in a quieter season.

For many islanders, weekly routines already include a stop here: bread on Friday, a Woodshed meal for a busy weeknight, ice cream for kids after school, pastries for weekend company, or cheese board provisions from the Tasting Room when friends show up unexpectedly.

It’s a simple way to support a thriving cluster of small businesses that make the island a better place to eat.

Plan Your Visit

If you love great pastries, beautifully crafted bread, specialty groceries, local cheese, ready-made meals, thoughtful gifts, excellent ice cream, or a good cup of coffee, The Jam Factory is the kind of place you’ll want to explore.

We’re mostly here all year, easy to find, and always happy to welcome new visitors. Please call ahead if you’re looking for something specific, and check each shop’s hours on their website or social media channels. We each have different hours, and some take Winter breaks.