Jay Jermo

Jay+Jermo+is+part+of+a+family-run+honey+business%2C+he+is+a+consistent+vendor+at+the+Ann+Arbor+Farmer%E2%80%99s+Market.+Jermo+has+been+coming+to+the+Ann+Arbor+Farmer%E2%80%99s+market+for+over+four+years.+Jermo+is+responsible+for+the+marketing+end+of+the+business%2C+Jermo+sells+around+22+flavors+of+honey.

Jay Jermo is part of a family-run honey business, he is a consistent vendor at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. Jermo has been coming to the Ann Arbor Farmer’s market for over four years. Jermo is responsible for the marketing end of the business, Jermo sells around 22 flavors of honey.

“My first two or three sales were raws [honey], and we only had two flavors at the time. We had lemon and raspberry, and I had like four women at separate times, and the fourth lady asked me what kind of other stuff we had and we didn’t have anything else so I just started making stuff up. I just said we had chocolate and hazelnut and lemon ginger and peach amaretto and it was all made up, we didn’t have anything. She was like ‘that’s great I’ll be back next week I want all of it’ and I was like well ‘alright.’ So after that market was over, it was my first market, I packed everything up, I drove back up to Bay City, which is where we produce everything. I told my aunt and my cousin we got to come up with orange and lemon and ginger and raspberry and peach amaretto and all this other stuff and they’re like ‘That’s ridiculous no one’s going to get that,’ and I’m like ‘They’re going to buy it you watch.’ That spawned the twenty-some odd flavors we have. People talk about businesses growing organically, that’s very very true that’s how it happened. I dream up my own product so if I come up with a flavor I don’t have to take it to a committee or have to get anyone’s approval. I can make it, talk to someone about it, and I make 20 bucks. If you look at what I do, I hang out, give honey to kids, hit on married women, it’s fun. You hear about dreams dying, they die when you have to answer to someone.”