From London Banker to Jam Maker

From the City of London to the fields of Brianza, moving from seven computer monitors to a life with hands dirty with dirt, growing strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Picking them one by one, bent over the furrows, fertilizing and protecting each plant. To make jams, ironically called "Banker's Jam."

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FROM LONDON BANKER TO JAM MAKER

The story of Andrea Tagliabue, 32 years old, questions many of the beliefs of our time, and is the story of someone who decides to take a seemingly backwards path: from JP Morgan, with a luxurious office in Canary Wharf, to a three-acre field in which to invest one's savings, instead of buying a Porsche.

Ultimately, Andrea's story is a choice between money and happiness, and he himself admits it in a beautiful interview with Corriere della Sera: "I thought I had it all: I earned a lot, the bonus could be three times my year's salary, but the stress was sky-high, the demands on my work hours were insane. I had no friends among my colleagues; we were all in competition. I wasn't happy." And then there was the gray London, the rain, the anxiety of success at all costs always around the corner, the lack of meaningful personal relationships.
Choosing to give it all up, however, takes a lot of courage, especially for those who thought Canary Wharf was their only horizon.

A degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Milan, followed by a Master's degree in Banking with top marks, an international master's degree in London, and finally, immediately, a job: a brilliant career with every prospect, yet happiness is a complex thing, and often doesn't depend on job prospects. So Andrea decided to return home to dedicate himself to beekeeping and picking berries to make jam.

The first experiment, after a course at the Vertemate con Minoprio beekeeping school, used honey instead of sugar in a jam recipe made with raspberries from their own garden. An in-depth study of the investment's feasibility and financial sustainability...and soon the Banker's Jam company was up and running.

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BANKER'S JAM

This year the harvest promises to be substantial, starting with the strawberries: 580 kilos have already been harvested from 14,000 plants, and Andrea estimates that the 10,000 raspberry plants will yield 10,000 kilos. Likewise, the 350 blueberry plants will produce more than 700 kilos of blueberries. Pandemic aside, it's been an excellent year. Andrea spent the lockdown outdoors, helped by his father Camillo, tending to each plant, fertilizing it with shredded wood, known in jargon as wood chips, pulling out the surrounding weeds and examining them one by one. As was done in the old days, to keep the soil moist and prevent them from becoming waterlogged. Letting the strawberries taste like strawberries, to maximize their yield during jam making. Along with the wildflower honey (strictly zero km), and the special sous vide cooking method that prevents the fruit from losing its flavor, these are the secrets of the banker's jams.

The market for which Andrea's jams are intended is that of trade fairs and catering, but together with the partner Serena, who takes care of social media and e-commerce management, will soon launch the website for the banker's jams. Because the neo-farmer hasn't forgotten where he came from, he's just decided to take a different path: converting 12 hours in front of seven screens into 12 hours of hard work, but outdoors.

(Featured image and accompanying text taken from the Facebook page of The Banker's Jam)

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