Ottawa consultant Scott Nowlan never imagined his entrepreneurial path would hinge on strawberry jam. Or pickles — definitely not pickles.

But here’s the thing: homemade preserves evoke nostalgia. They link us to childhood memories, simple comforts and a culinary tradition from an era when summer’s bounty was carefully jarred in order to be enjoyed all year long.

During his childhood, Nowlan spent his summers picking wild berries and crab apples near his family cottage at Lac Poisson Blanc, in the West Quebec municipality of Notre-Dame-du-Laus.

The women — his mother Gail, Aunt Marlene and Nana Dorothy, all of whom have since passed — turned the fruit into jams and jellies and the vegetables into pantry staples, teaching him the art of preserving along the way.

As an adult, Nowlan continued to make culinary creations for family and friends.

“For years, the reaction from people I’ve been giving them to has been incredibly positive and encouraging. They’d say, ‘Scott, you should think about doing this commercially’. I would just say, ‘No, why would I do that?’,” recalled Nowlan, who at the time thought of his small-batch preserves more as a fun hobby.

Professionally, Nowlan has spent more than 30 years in project leadership roles in Ottawa, working for companies such as PwC, IBM and Innovapost. The married father of three moved to Australia for a two-year stint with a startup, bringing his family with him.

In 2024, Nowlan felt he was overdue for a break, so decided to take his summer off. He spent more time in his home kitchen trying out new recipes for jams, jellies, pickles and sauces. He also began building relationships with local farmers.

“I just got into a groove and loved having more time to experiment. That’s when I started thinking beyond the product, and how it connects to my family and a legacy of tradition.”

Scott Nowlan at two months old, surrounded (from left) by his Uncle Don, Poppa Arthur, Nana Dorothy, mother Gail and Aunt Marlene, with his great-grandfather William seated.

Nowlan leaned on his friend and Glebe neighbour, marketing expert and visual artist Andrew Milne, for creative support and as a sounding board for ideas.

He settled on the name Morrison & Co. to honour the women who inspired his love of preserves, with Morrison being their family surname. On his website, he shares a touching tribute to each of them, celebrating their influence.

That year, Nowlan sold his entire supply of 800 jars in just four weeks. “I was, like, ‘Hm. I actually like doing this’.”

By December 2024, Nowlan was working on a business plan and looking for a commercial kitchen in which to scale his fledgling business. He also sought guidance from others in the industry, with his greatest mentor being Bridgehead Coffee founder and former CEO Tracey Clark, owner of Linden Pizza on Beechwood Avenue.

“When you have someone like Tracey Clark to speak to, it’s kind of surreal. She’s been so generous with her time.”

With the blessing of his wife, senior public servant Kristen Underwood, Nowlan invested more of his time, skills and money into Morrison & Co. He found the commercial space he needed, hired a culinary student from Algonquin College and recruited a couple of high school students to help with kitchen prep and warehouse work, though his “warehouse” is really just his basement.

Last year, his production reached 8,500 jars.

These days, Nowlan’s mind is buzzing with ideas, problems and to-do tasks. “Every day, there’s, like, 100 bees in my head. I’ll wake up at four o’clock in the morning with an idea. I’ll write it down and, sometimes, I’ll fall back to sleep. Other times, I have to get up.”

And if Nowlan ever questions whether he’s spreading himself too thin (excuse the jam-packed pun), the response from the public is reassurance enough. He encounters customers at the public markets who, having sampled his preserves through friends or family, make a point of seeking him out to buy more.

Nowlan has come to recognize just how meaningful food is to people. “People are buying my products and giving them as gifts. It’s kind of wild.”

His preserves even bring some to tears. “I had this one friend who called me on the phone and said, ‘I had the raspberry jam and I’ve been crying all morning’,” he recalled.

His friend had lost his mother two years earlier, and the familiar jam brought back memories of her making raspberry jam in the kitchen.

Family matriarch Dorothy Morrison seen in this undated photo.

Several local shops now carry his products, including the Il Negozio Nicastro fine food stores in the Glebe and Wellington Village, and the Piggy Market artisan deli and craft butcher shop in Westboro Village.

His jars are sold at Dunrobin Distilleries, with whom Morrison & Co. has partnered for some of its creations, including a blueberry and gin jam and a blackberry and Canadian whiskey jam. He’s also crafted tea-infused jams.

Nowlan is looking to expand beyond Ottawa, from bigger cities such as Toronto to smaller markets where artisanal products are prized.

“The next step is scaling the business and increasing profitability,” said Nowlan, who still hasn’t paid himself after covering his farmers, employees and other expenses.

For Nowlan, what began as a hobby has become something far more: a way to connect with tradition, support local farmers and create food that brings comfort (and sometimes even a good cry), all while building a business he’s proud to call his own.

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.

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