Matt and Clare Stoner Fehsenfeld, the husband-and-wife team behind Quince & Apple, joke that they’re “the fancy condiment company,” but their quality preserves and fruit syrups are approachable and designed to appeal to all tastes—fancy or not.
Matt has a culinary degree from Madison Area Technical College. He worked in restaurants and for Potter’s Crackers, where he made crackers and handled sales and marketing. While growing up, Matt and his mom often made preserves as a hobby, and as an adult, he gave his creations to friends and family as gifts.
Matt and Clare launched Quince & Apple in 2009 while he was still working at Potter’s. They sublet kitchen space, and after a day of making crackers, Clare joined Matt and they made preserves until 3 a.m. After nine months, they got their own workspace. In the beginning, they focused on making preserves that paired well with cheese. “We focus on not just your traditional breakfast jam, but preserves that would pair well with meats and cheese,” Matt said.
Today, Quince & Apple offers five flavored syrups in addition to nine preserve flavors. Popular preserve flavors include pear, with fresh local honey and warming ginger; the cherry and white tea, made with Door County cherries; and fig and black tea, which pairs well with everything from blue cheese to ice cream.
“Everything we make has unique flavor combinations and much less sugar than traditional preserves,” Matt said. Since Quince & Apple has been in business, he’s noticed how American palates are changing to appreciate quality fruit and good ingredients not hidden by lots of sugar. “I’ve definitely seen a change in consumer perception. When I go do a demo in a store, people are excited to see these different flavors with less sugar. We really want all of our flavors to be subtle and interesting—not just interesting for the sake of being interesting—but both interesting and approachable.”
Matt enjoys creating new flavors and products. The syrups were a happy accident; Matt was trying to make a rhubarb preserve, but he couldn’t get the texture quite right. Instead, he strained the rhubarb concoction and mixed it with gin. After a few sips, he knew he had something special.
Quince & Apple’s five syrup flavors are Rhubarb Hops; Tart Cherry Grenadine; Lime and Cucumber; Citrus, which is their take on a sour mix; and Honey and Lemon. All flavors can be used in craft cocktails or added to sparkling water for refreshing non-alcoholic drinks. The syrups are packaged in charming glass bottles with an attached stopper that can be reused, adding an eco-component to the packaging.
Quince & Apple sources locally whenever possible and uses apples, cranberries, pears, honey and tart cherries from Wisconsin and sometimes Michigan. Ingredients like lemons are purchased from trusted farms or co-ops.
Wisconsin is booming with great food artisans, so Matt and Clare partnered with other businesses to offer themed gift baskets such as the Quince-Essential Party box, which has everything needed to whip up a charcuterie board to wow party gusts, and the Wisconsin Old Fashioned Cocktail Box. On Feb. 26, Quince & Apple announced that they have purchased Milwaukee-based Treat Bake Shop, an artisan producer of spiced and candied nuts, from founder Sarah Marx Feldner. Production of Treat’s products will move to Quince & Apple’s Madison kitchen in mid-March. Quince & Apple products can be ordered online or found at Outpost Natural Foods, Larry’s Market, West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe, The Village Cheese Shop, Whole Foods Market and Metcalfe’s Market.
For more information, visit quinceandapple.com.
