E. Waldo Ward & Son

E. Waldo Ward & Son is an artisanal preserves and specialty-food business based in Sierra Madre, California. The company traces its origins to Edwin Waldo Ward, a New York food salesman who moved to California in 1891 for health reasons. After acquiring land in Sierra Madre in 1903, Ward established a home, barn, and citrus-growing operation. His experience promoting English-style marmalade to Union Pacific dining cars and the Harvey House restaurant and hotel network informed the company he later created. Ward experimented with preserves beginning in 1915 and formally started the enterprise in 1917. The early business concentrated on Seville-orange marmalade and supplied railroad dining cars and Harvey House establishments. In the 1920s, the range expanded to include jams. By the 1940s, the company had added Spanish olives that were imported and stuffed by hand, broadening its offer beyond fruit spreads. The modern business remains associated with small-batch and traditional food production. Its reported range includes approximately 90 to 100 items across preserves, marmalades, jams, jellies, fruit butters, relishes, chutneys, sauces, brandied fruit, and specialty olives. Examples include brandied pears and cherries, seafood cocktail sauce, chili sauce, corn relish, cranberry relish, mango chutney, apple butter, pumpkin butter, cherry butter, apricot preserves, mango preserves, apricot-pineapple jam, gooseberry preserves, raspberry-jalapeño jam, orange-papaya marmalade, lemon marmalade, lime marmalade, tangelo marmalade, red-currant jelly, mint jelly, and acai-pomegranate jelly. The Ward family continues to grow pesticide-free citrus, including blood oranges, Valencia oranges, Seville oranges, tangerines, tangelos, and kumquats. The current property is much smaller than the original holdings, covering approximately 2.5 to 3 acres, so the company supplements its own harvest with citrus from Riverside and berries from the Pacific Northwest. In addition to its own branded products, E. Waldo Ward & Son manufactures preserves for Laura Ann's Jam and produces Simmie J's Gourmet Barbecue Sauce, indicating a contract-manufacturing role alongside its consumer-facing range. Traditional equipment is central to the company's identity. Reported production machinery includes burners dating from 1915, a stainless-steel citrus-peel slicer from 1930, and two kettles dating to the World War II era. The Sierra Madre premises also function as a museum. Personal tours can include the factory and barn, where visitors may see the original jar-capping machine, vintage citrus-crate labels, and a restored 1952 Chevrolet truck. Operations are associated with Richard Ward, Edwin Waldo Ward's grandson, and Jeff Ward, his great-grandson, preserving the business's multigenerational character.

Edwin Waldo Ward came to California from New York in 1891, reportedly seeking a healthier climate. In 1903, he bought ten acres in Sierra Madre and established a residence and barn. Over time, he expanded the property to approximately thirty acres and planted a citrus grove. His previous work as a food salesman had exposed him to English-style marmalade served through Union Pacific dining cars and the Harvey House chain of restaurants, hotels, and railway establishments. Ward began developing his own recipes in 1915, initially focusing on a Seville-orange marmalade. In 1917, he turned the activity into a formal enterprise. Early customers included railroad dining cars and Harvey House locations, giving the young company a commercial channel tied to the expanding railway and hospitality systems of the period. During the 1920s, Ward added jams, building a broader fruit-spread portfolio. In the 1940s, the company further diversified by importing olives from Spain and stuffing them by hand. The business's agricultural foundation changed as the original property was divided or reduced. In the modern period, only about 2.5 to 3 acres remain associated with the operation, and the Ward family grows pesticide-free blood oranges, Valencia oranges, Seville oranges, tangerines, tangelos, and kumquats there. Because this acreage cannot supply all production needs, the company obtains additional citrus from Riverside and berries from the Pacific Northwest. E. Waldo Ward & Son's later range developed into a large specialty-food assortment reportedly numbering between 90 and 100 items. It includes traditional marmalades and preserves as well as jams, jellies, fruit butters, relishes, chutneys, sauces, and brandied fruits. The company also makes products for other food labels, including preserves for Laura Ann's Jam and Simmie J's Gourmet Barbecue Sauce. This combination of branded production and contract manufacturing extends the business beyond its own retail identity. Manufacturing continues to draw on historic equipment. The factory reportedly retains burners from 1915, a 1930 stainless-steel citrus-peel slicer, and two kettles dating from World War II. These artifacts support the company's presentation as a living food-production heritage site rather than solely a packaged-food label. The Sierra Madre premises at 273 E. Highland Ave. incorporate a museum and offer personal tours of the factory and barn. Displays include the original machine used to cap jars, vintage citrus-crate labels, and a restored 1952 Chevrolet truck. In the current generation, Richard Ward and Jeff Ward—identified respectively as Edwin Waldo Ward's grandson and great-grandson—are associated with running the company. The enterprise therefore combines a continuing specialty-food operation, family agricultural production, contract manufacturing, and a local museum devoted to its history.

• 1940

  Hand-stuffed Spanish olives enter the portfolio

  [1]E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org

  By the 1940s, the company is importing olives from Spain and stuffing them by hand.

• 1920

  Jams are added to the range

  [1]E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1920s, the company expands beyond marmalade and begins producing jams.

• 1917

  E. Waldo Ward & Son is founded

  [1]E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org

  The formal enterprise begins, initially selling marmalade to railroad dining cars and Harvey House establishments.

• 1915

  Recipe experimentation begins

  [1]E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org

  Ward starts experimenting with recipes for fruit spreads, including a Seville-orange marmalade inspired by his earlier work promoting English-style marmalade.

• 1903

  Ward establishes the Sierra Madre property

  [1]E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org

  Ward purchases ten acres in Sierra Madre, builds a home and barn, and begins developing a citrus-growing property that eventually reaches approximately thirty acres.

• 1891

  Edwin Waldo Ward moves to California

  [1]E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org

  New York food salesman Edwin Waldo Ward relocates to California for health reasons, later becoming the founder of the Sierra Madre food business.

A historic, family-run California specialty-food producer emphasizing traditional recipes, citrus grown by the Ward family, artisanal preparation, legacy equipment, and an on-site museum experience.

• Fruit spreads · 1917

  Marmalades

  The company's foundational category, beginning with Seville-orange marmalade. The reported modern assortment includes orange-papaya, lemon, lime, and tangelo marmalades, reflecting the business's continuing emphasis on citrus and traditional preparation.

• Fruit spreads · 1920

  Jams and preserves

  E. Waldo Ward & Son produces a broad selection of fruit spreads, including apricot and mango preserves, apricot-pineapple jam, gooseberry preserves, and raspberry-jalapeño jam. The category was added after the company's original marmalade business expanded in the 1920s.

• Fruit spreads

  Jellies and fruit butters

  The range includes red-currant, mint, and acai-pomegranate jellies as well as apple, pumpkin, and cherry butters. These products extend the company's traditional preserved-fruit approach into softer spreads and flavored jellies.

• Condiments

  Relishes and chutneys

  Savory and sweet-acidic condiments include corn relish, cranberry relish, and mango chutney. They complement the preserves portfolio and demonstrate the company's broader specialty-food scope beyond breakfast spreads.

• Preserved fruit

  Brandied fruit

  The company reports producing brandied pears and brandied cherries, products that preserve whole or substantial pieces of fruit in a flavored, spirit-based preparation.

• Condiments

  Sauces

  Reported sauce products include seafood cocktail sauce and chili sauce. The company also manufactures Simmie J's Gourmet Barbecue Sauce, illustrating its work for other specialty-food labels.

• Preserved foods · 1940

  Specialty olives

  By the 1940s, E. Waldo Ward & Son had expanded into importing olives from Spain and hand-stuffing them. This line represents one of the company's earliest documented moves beyond fruit preserves.

1. 1E. Waldo Ward & Sonen.wikipedia.org