Meet Barbie Hahn | Chief Sunshine Officer for That Dam Jam

We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbie Hahn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
During the pandemic, I started making a whole lot of pineapple habañero jam to give to loved ones for no reason other than to fill the time and spread joy! I started receiving venmo payments, and text messages from the people I’d send jam to asking “Barbie, I need some more of that damn jam you make!” Before I knew it, I was receiving regular payments and Vemno asked me if I had a business… This was the first time I had really thought of it that way, and was the beginning of That Dam Jam!

Please tell us more about your career. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
While we do offer unique pineapple pepper jam flavors and yes, they do set us apart from others, we believe there are a few other more unique facts about our brand!
-We are 100% woman owned, and our jams are made of 100% real fruit
-All of the peppers used in our jams are grown by Ohio farmers
-We partner with Ohio CAN and Feed Our Flock to get our jam to food insecure families on a regular basis. It is vital
that we give back to our community!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Love to stroll through Findlay Market on the weekends, or catch an FCC game at Paycor Stadium! For food, Pho Lang Thang is amazing, Eli’s BBQ is another local staple! I also love Hi-Mark for a nice weekend hangout spot!
Historic Downtown Milford is such a quaint town to spend a few hours shopping on main street, and grabbing a cocktail at Cincinnati Distilling!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Allison Homan of Lehr’s Prime Market in Milford, OH was the first fellow woman-owned small business owner to take a chance on my jam when it was still cottage produced in my home kitchen! Not only did she purchase it, but she took all the stock I had on hand and asked when I could have more! It was through Allison and other local small business owners that I was able to sell my product to the public for the first time.

I would also like to thank Ashley McDonald at Ohio Proud for accepting That Dam Jam into the program and further legitimizing our product in our home state!

I would like to thank Chelsey Groves, our first employee. Chelsey has brought helping hands, a creative vision and strategic thinking, which has allowed That Dam Jam to grow over 100% in  2023. This would not have been possible without her.

Website: www.thatdamjam.com

Instagram: @thatdamjamlady

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thatdamjam