The gem line of jars and lids from the canning company Bernardin is
gone, says its marketing manager.
Judi Kingry said that product line is not economically feasible and the
company has no plan to start making them again.
Many home canners in the West have just become aware of the shortage of
lids for their gem jars as canning season approaches. Those with
bulging gardens and overripe fruit must either buy one of Bernardin’s
newer jar lines or look at another processing method such as freezing
Read Also
Communication key to bridging generation gap
Each generation is shaped by the predominant forces at play during their formative years. Acknowledging these influences can improve communication among the generations.
or dehydrating.
While many women have held onto their quart sealers for many years, the
lids need to be replaced each time food is processed and placed into
the jar.
Kingry said despite the petitions, letters and e-mails the company has
been receiving, the decision to discontinue the line was reaffirmed at
an Aug. 16 meeting of the company’s management.
Kingry said in 1995, the first year Bernardin began selling other jar
sizes, the gem lids and jars represented 13 percent of sales. Last
year, the gem line had slipped to about seven percent of sales.
Kingry said anything less than 10 percent is uneconomic in terms of
manufacturing a special line. The company would have to raise the price
on the lid so high that people wouldn’t buy it.
She laughed at the suggestion that Bernardin’s American parent, which
holds a monopoly in Canada, had conspired to make people buy a new line
of jars.
“It’s a free market economy. Anybody can make these lids,” but it won’t
be profitable, she said.
Meanwhile, one canner is planning a petition. Marla Rauser has
contacted 24 stores in and around Lloydminster and they are willing to
let her put up a petition asking Bernardin to continue making the gem
line “according to need.”
She hopes to get the signed petitions to the company by October and is
encouraging other home canning enthusiasts to do the same in their
areas.
