Local & a great little place in Sierra Madre that has good items to purchase from Jams, olives, pickles and more. All packed with flavor. A very friendly place with helpful workers. read more

Great experience. All staff were great!!![ Will continue to shop here. Close to home which make it's easier. read more

Awesome products! The highest quality jams and sauces. Fill up your pantry today! I love the Santa Rosa plum jam, delicious!

College, career, and eventual retirement led me away from my hometown of Sierra Madre. Considering the family heritage of this business is another facet that makes the shopping experience rewarding for me. Simply stated, excellent products, a wide selection, and excellent customer service. Not uncommon to speak directly with the current owner, Jeff. I'm confident that you'll find your experience enjoyable and the products unique and delicious. A standout gem! read more

I try to visit here at least once a year. This place screams history and nostalgia. Sierra Madre already gives you hometown vibes, but going the E Waldo Ward & Son makes me feel like I'm visiting my grandma. The house is located in a residential area, so it may be easy to pass it up. Please ensure that you're not wearing heels or nice sneakers because the driveway is dirt and rocks :) My favorite thing to purchase is their apple butter. Nom nom They also have jam, jelly, marmalade, olives, syrups and more. Most items are made there. I think the olives are imported but you can verify with the staff. Speaking of the staff, they are very warm and friendly. It is a family owned business and because of that, I think the service is better. They do have sugar free alternatives for some items for those that have diet restrictions. Please support this local business! read more

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Terrific marmalade! Best ever. Thank you for for keeping this incredible food art form alive

Looking for a great gift? Craving marmalade? Always wanted to try guava jam? Come to E. Waldo Ward and you will not be disappointed. For over 100 years, E. Waldo Ward has been in the business of making some of the best jam, jelly and marmalade you will ever have. Located in a residential area of Sierra Madre, the office, shop and ranch hearken back to a time when Los Angeles county was primarily an agricultural area full of orchards, vineyards and dairy pastures. I've been having their orange marmalade for years but have also tried their lime marmalade, guava jelly, tangelo marmalade and many other products too numerous to mention. Their products are always of the highest quality, reasonably priced for what you get, and creatively inventive as well (sweet pickled kumquats, anyone?). I've purchased their items in a few retail stores but it's much more fun to buy them directly at the Ward Ranch, 3 1/2 acres of lovely land. Online is fine too: https://www.waldoward.com/. Park on the street and walk up the left driveway to find the office which serves as a store. They will wrap up your selections in cellophane for $2 extra. Don't knock on the door of the gorgeous Victorian house in front; it appears to be a private residence. And, last thing, buy more than you think you will want. You will go through these jars quicker than you can imagine and don't want to be stuck in a jam. read more

E Waldo Ward & Son - Jams and jellies galore - Grocery Near Me - Sierra Madre, California

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Delicious cherry butter! Stopped at the store in CA and wanted to buy everything! Best preserves ever...

*** TRUE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS since 1891 *** We've walked by this place many times. Thought it was just a big house with a lot of land. Noticed the orange trees but didn't know that they are a family business that has been around since 1891 making gourmet foods. They make many types of jams, preserves, marmalades, jellies. There are also olives that are imported from Europe. We got some triple stuffed olives -- it is like a turducken but with olives? The happy hour olives are stuffed too. Their best sellers include the four berry jam, orange marmalade, and the Spanish olives stuffed with blue cheese. You can sample several kinds at the gift shop with crackers. They sell sets of jam. You can buy the preset ones or choose your own. read more

Terrific selection of home grown products. The character of the place is old timey and the people are friendly.

E. Waldo Ward and Son jam, marmalade and preserves store is a delectable hidden secret of Sierra Madre. Located within a residential area, the establishment is very hard to find unless one is deliberately looking for it. This family operated business has been making jams, jellies, marmalade and other preserves since 1891; the company is being run by a fourth generation descendant. When here I highly recommend their citrus marmalade (their signature and forte): blood orange, grapefruits, Seville orange, tangerine and sweet orange. What's different about them is their usage of natural ingredients: cane sugar, natural fruit peels as opposed to pre-processed, fruit juices, pectin and citric acid. The marmalade come out tasting balanced, smooth and delicate in its sweetness and texture. With their marmalade the fruit peels are actually soft and pleasant to eat as opposed to conventional store bought marmalade the peels taste generic and harder in comparison. Each jar of their marmalade contains over a century of artisanal quality and expertise that can be immediately experienced once the marmalade hits the tongue and seeps into the palate. Tradition is the outcome of accumulated experiences; a tradition is worth maintaining when those exposed to it intuitively knows that the craftsman(en) to the tradition knows something conventional folks don't. E. Waldo Ward and Son's jams, jellies and marmalade is one of such tradition. Once you have had their products, it doesn't make sense to get marmalades, jellies and jams elsewhere since Waldo Ward and Son beats conventional items on three fronts: price, quality and taste. The price is really affordable here: $3.25 for a jar of marmalade. The quality encased in the jar makes the price a true bargain. I recommend eating their jams and marmalades with fresh hot biscuits, toast and scones: it's a breakfast treat for sure. read more

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This is one of those "Local hidden things" that you need to have pointed out to you. I'd have never known it was here if it was not pointed out to me. I honestly thought it was somebody's home at first glance. I never would have walked up their driveway, and into their house if I had not had it been pointed out to me. I was here, I tried lots of great jams, jellies and Marmalades. I'm still on the fence with marmelade, but bought a jar because that's their thing. I also succumbed to temptation and bought some brandied pears, peaches and cherries. I learned alot of interesting things. And apparently this place has been here for about 200 years? The guy we talked to was the 4th generation owner. And to think I'd have completely missed it if somebody didn't tell me about it. Now I need to have schedule some Saturday night where I get obliterated eating fruit. Good times, great preserves, super nice people behind the counter. Alcoholic fruit. Awesome. read more

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We had a friend who worked there once and sent us. We bought several jams and jellies. The building is in a residential neighborhood and is a great place to visit. A wide selection in the store read more

I started buying there jams a couple of months ago for work. Right now carry blackberry, strawberry, apricot & cherry. Very good product and nice to pu money back into the community. read more

E Waldo Ward & Son - Grocery Near Me - Sierra Madre, California

An absolute gem tucked away! My parents found this in Sierra Madre and the owners were so hospitable. They gave them a tour of the kitchens. Jams and jellies are outstanding!! read more

It's a fun place to visit to purchase delicious jams, jellies and sauces. Their products make great California-themed gifts and hostess gifts too. read more

I've been buying and enjoying the Seville Orange Marmalade for at least the last 20 years. By far, it's the best there is anywhere. The Ward Ranch is beautiful and a great tradition in Sierra Madre. If you haven't been there you should visit. You will be happy you did. read more

Arrived to a lovely rustic property with a driveway leading to a house. There are steps to climb to get to the entry, so it would be best to call ahead of time to make sure there are accomodations for people with the inability to climb stairs. Once inside, it's a small space surrounded by jars of products with the cashier directly in front. I ultimately decided to buy orange marmalade and guava jam. Both flavors are absolutely delicious. I would definitely return for those and to try other flavors. There is a beautiful seating area outside; surrounded by plants and trees. Tours are available upon prior request (call to schedule). If you're looking to come here to take a picture with the giant jar in front of the barn door, you should know that it's brought out for tours only. This place is worth multiple visits. read more

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Nicest guy. A hidden gym in Sierra Madre. The hams and jellies here are the real deal. Over 100 years old.

This business is an amazing local heirloom. They go above and beyond expectations with all of their products. The quality is amazing and the history is extensive. It does not get much better than this. And they are open to doing wedding favors. I loved working with Chris and Jeff on my project. Thank you to everyone there who helped make my special day that much more special. read more

E Waldo Ward & Son - Wonderful Favors for my wedding with custom labels. Chris did an amazing job designing and Jeff was amazing enough to see it through. - Grocery Near Me - Sierra Madre, California

So what's the deal with E. Waldo Ward, you may ask? Well, let me fill in and it all started with marmalade. Edwin Waldo Ward was a luxury food salesman from New York who had a dream, specifically to make an English-style marmalade. Why English-style marmalade? Apparently, it was one of his best sellers and he felt that it could be made just as well in California. To that effect, he imported and planted Seville orange trees after he purchased 10 acres of land in the city of Sierra Madre. Ward began experimenting with recipes in 1915 and two years later, built a factory and started making marmalade. His biggest customers were the railroads and Fred Harvey (famous for his restaurants and hotels along the railroad lines). Eventually, Ward's business thrived and he purchased another 20 acres of land for a total of 30 acres. He also added other food items like jams and hand-stuffed olives from Spain to his product line. With the depression came some hard times and he had to sell the majority of his land. Present day, the Ward Ranch sits on between 2 to 3 acres of land. What's unique about Ward Ranch is that the original house and bar are still on the property and are over 100 years old. Currently, Jeff Ward, fourth generation is now running the family business and amazingly enough, it hasn't been bought out by any larger food companies. Now you have some background, let's talk about their tour. First, the tours are only during the weekends, but are completely Free. They start off inside the factory where Jeff gives a brief talk on the history of E. Waldo Ward. From there, he takes us through the process of how their food is manufactured. He starts with the olives, which are exported from Spain. Their various olives are hand-stuffed with a variety of ingredients, from pimiento to cheese and than hand-placed in the jars. He also mentions some of their other food products, which have expanded the orange marmalade E. Waldo Ward started with. The types of products they manufacture and sell now include everything from bbq sauces to pickled or brandied fruits to condiments, etc. In recent years, Jeff has come up with the majority of the new product recipes. While most of their products are under their own label, some are also private label for other food companies. After the talk, we took a tour of his manufacturing plant and what's interesting about it is their equipment. Employees work with burners that date to 1915 as well as a 1930 stainless steel citrus-peel slicer with a wall full of accessories. Some of the products are made in massive kettles, but many of the more delicate items are cooked on the antique burners in pots hardly larger than a home-preserver might use. Two of the six kettles date from World War II and are constantly in use. Pictures were also available so that we could see some of the equipment at work, from one depicting an employee stirring a large vat raspberry preserves to seeing an employee screwing the lids to the jars by hand. Then we actually got to sample some of their products and they included: wisteria jelly, four berry preserve, Seville orange marmalade, sweet orange marmalade and an orange fruit spread. Jeff also included pickled kumquats, which were deliciously tart. After the tasting, we went into another room where we saw a conveyor belt. Once the lids are screwed on, the jars are placed in boxes and go down the conveyor belt where employees can pick them up and take them to the building where labels are printed and placed on all the jars. After we checked out the packaging building, Jeff took us the kumquat trees that lined the walkway and showed us a trick when it comes to eating them since they can sometimes be sour. Simply, roll the kumquat between the palms of your hands to help release the oils of the kumquat skin, then pop the whole thing in your mouth, skin and all. It actually worked and there just something so cool about eating a warmed by the sun piece of fruit right off the tree. When we've eaten our fill, we were able to check out their farming museum, which is right inside their 100+ year old barn. On the way there, Jeff mentioned that the large barn tower was actually a water tower at one time and apparently haunted. Sometimes at night, there's lights flickering up there. So ended the tour. Afterwards, the retail store was open if anyone wanted to purchase anything. Overall, this was as a short 45 minute tour, but what a joy it is to be able to visit a place where time-worn traditions are still in place and where just because you can change something, it doesn't mean you have to if what you have still does the job. Apparently, they even adhere still to the original marmalade recipe as created by E. Waldo Ward. Why fix something that isn't broke? To see pics, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157606641325441/ read more

Ok if you wanna look cute and get some marmalade and live your country rustic life in LA at least in your kitchen come here. So good.

What a unique place with some delicious jams. This place has history and most don't even know it's there and drive by it almost daily. read more

E Waldo Ward & Son - Grocery Near Me - Sierra Madre, California

I personally do not do marmalade, but wanted to review this place anyways. The location is hidden within a Sierra Madre residential area. The place is actually an old home and the store itself is a bit back in the property up above the old garage. Inside you'll find all sorts of preserves and marmalades. As mentioned, I don't do marmalade, but my dad absolutely loves it and says it is fantastic. We did also get a bit of their boysenberry preserve and it was top notch. The employee seemed a bit preoccupied, but helped us when we had some questions. So, if you like preserves, especially marmalade, and take pride in local history and character, be sure to go to this place. Sending a package of E. Waldo Ward marmalade to someone back east would be a great gift if they enjoy marmalade! read more

E. Waldo Ward & Son has so much great stuff! I never knew it was there (near neighbors for 20yrs) & missed out this whole time. Great variety of jams, jellies, spreads, olives and more. The wholesomeness of home made and limited ingredients makes their products an ideal choice!!! Delicious! read more

E Waldo Ward & Son - What a haul!!! :) - Grocery Near Me - Sierra Madre, California

We sell these products at the LA County Arboretum gift shop and they are a very - very popular item. Delicious, all of their items are wonderful. read more

Way in the foothills at the end of a long driveway in a residential area, this little jewel is hidden in Sierra Madre. With their delightful unique homemade jams and jellies we try to go there twice and year and stock up. Its always worth the trip. Would recommend this family owned local business. read more

Came in for a tour of their factory. Call in and reserve to make a hr of history on a Saturday :) Such a hidden gem of jam and jellies. They make many types and have a little store where you can taste and buy! read more