Economic slump stirs up homemade preserves industry

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For Marlene Baroli-Turati, life has become an obsession with sugar and fruit.

After working two decades as a project manager for Boeing Co., she was laid off during a round of recession-fueled cutbacks in 2008.

‘I had always made jams and jellies as gifts,’ said Baroli-Turati, 44, who lives in Lake Forest and launched a line of preserves under the brand name DaSweetZpot. She sells the products online store on Etsy.com and at area food festivals and trade shows.

‘I figured, why not start making them as a business?’ she said. Read more here:

Marlene Baroli-Turati of Lake Forest gathers lemons and basil from her backyard for her DaSweetZpot products. She started the preserves business after being laid off. (Allen J. Schaben, Los Angeles Times / May 19, 2010)