Rachel Alcocer’s peach cobbler jam flew off her metaphorical shelves this year. It’s one of her seasonal flavors, and she can only make it when peaches are growing on her tree.
“I like to do the seasonal fruit in the area,” Alcocer said. “I like to do the stuff that’s available to me because it’s the freshest, and it’s local.”
Jam mania
To order Rachel Alcocer’s jam and charcuterie boards for delivery or pickup, send her a message on Instagram @msrachelsjam. In Lompoc, her preserves are sold at Southside Coffee Co., Awaken Cardio Kickboxing, and Focus Physical Therapy.
The process of making jam is one she learned from her mother-in-law five years ago. It starts with cooking down the fruit for an hour or two, depending on the size of the batch, and then adding in pectin and sugar. At around 220 degrees, when the mixture gels, it goes into sterilized jars and gets soaked in a hot water bath to seal the lids. The jars sit on Alcocer’s counter for the next 24 hours, and then she cleans the exteriors again and puts them in another water bath before labeling.
For the past few years, Alcocer’s hobby has doubled as her business, known on Instagram as
@msrachelsjams. In addition to her trees, she uses fruits grown by friends and family who live near Lompoc and Buellton to make around 15 flavors of jam, all for $10 a jar.
The most popular, and one of her first flavors, is apple pie jam. She adds nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger as extra seasoning.
Another hit is her pineapple habanero jam, which packs a punch.
“That one flies. That one’s super popular,” she said. “That one’s really good over cream cheese to serve with crackers, so it’s an easy appetizer.”
Even with a decade of management experience in the food industry, Alcocer didn’t set out to sell her own goods. She’s a dedicated stay-at-home parent who decided to take one of her passions to the next level.
After initially learning how to make pepper jelly from her mother-in-law, Alcocer got hooked on the process and started experimenting with other flavors.
Soon enough, she built up a reputation in the community for her preserves and charcuterie boards. Friends started ordering them and encouraged Alcocer to “go for it.” She got licensed through the county a few years ago and her LLC became official in mid 2025.
“It’s my little hobby that I had as a stay-at-home mom, and then just the joy that has brought so many other people, and it’s expanded really fast,” she said. “I didn’t expect it.”
The bulk of her sales happen online through Instagram, but she also sells jars at other businesses in the area. In Lompoc she’s at Southside Coffee Co., Awaken Cardio Kickboxing, and Focus Physical Therapy. Alcocer’s products are also for sale at the Dare 2 Dream farm stand and Route One Farmers Market.
Within the next year, her goal is to expand the business by hiring an employee and searching for a physical storefront. A key part will be charcuterie boards, the classy adult versions of Lunchables that ’90s kids, like Alcocer, grew up on.
“That is the goal, and that’s actually where it kind of started, is with the charcuterie,” Alcocer said.
She already assembles lots of boards for friends’ parties as fun projects on the side. When building one, she collects meats, cheeses, crackers, fresh fruits, jams, and anything else that feels right for the occasion. She’ll start in the middle or at a corner, layering each element and creating the board’s shapes.
“The best boards feel abundant, not fussy,” she said.
Amid all the fun of making jams and charcuterie, Alcocer’s favorite part of her business venture is building relationships with her customers.
“I have the people that I’m building relationships with all over the area,” she said, “and it’s just been really nice growing those connections.”
Staff Writer Madison White thinks charcuterie boards are gorgeous. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in January 8 – January 15, 2026.