Meghan Markle reveals that some of her friends “took it personally” after not receiving a jar of jam during the initial launch of her lifestyle brand.
During an episode of the duchess’s new lifestyle and cooking show, “With Love, Meghan,” the former actress spoke with special guest Mindy Kaling about the details behind sending the jam to her inner circle.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, sent out 50 jars of strawberry jam to friends and social media influencers across the US to launch the social media account for her previous lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
Each package was labelled 1 to 50, with Meghan revealing the first batch was sent to her mother, Doria Ragland.
Meghan Markle reveals that some of her friends took it personally after not receiving a jar of jam during the initial launch of her lifestyle brand
Reuters
Kaling told the mother-of-two that receiving the Jam “was probably one of the most glamorous moments of my life.”
However, speaking on the numbering system, she asked Meghan: “Who are these other people? Does having a lower number make me more special?”
The duchess replied: “I did not think about it. It was not a ranking.
“People started to take it very personally.”
Meghan’s labelled each product 1 to 50
The Instagram account for American Riviera Orchard created a significant buzz after its initial launch in March 2024, amassing more than half a million followers.
The brand was hit with major setbacks, with the duchess struggling to secure trademark rights to the name.
Meghan Markle has now officially abandoned her trademark application for “American Riviera Orchard”, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Documents from the US Patent Office show the status is now listed as “dead”.
Meghan Markle spoke with special guest Mindy Kaling about the details behind the launch
Netflix
The office confirmed the application was “abandoned because the applicant filed an express abandonment”.
Meghan revealed that she had rebranded the lifestyle range under a new name, “As Ever”, on February 18.
She explained the change: “Last year, I had thought, ‘American Riviera’, that sounds like such a great name. It’s my neighbourhood; it’s a nickname for Santa Barbara, but it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area.
“So I thought about it and I’ve been waiting for a moment to share a name I secured in 2022 and this is the moment and it’s called As Ever.”
