Maureen “Mo” Hanson did not grow up with one steady place to call home.

Like many military children, Hanson moved often while her family followed her father’s Army assignments around the country.

“We always kept going back to San Diego, so I say I’m from California, but I was born in Wisconsin,” she said. “My dad was in the United States Army.”

The first half of Hanson’s life was marked by constant moves before finally settling on the Western Slope. While attending Colorado Mountain College, Hanson was working at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, where she was encouraged by Dr. Christiaan Maurer, who passed from brain cancer in 2019. 

“He switched up his entire schedule so I could attend lab, because if I wanted to get my degree, I had to do that,” Hanson said. “I was originally going to be a vet tech, but that fell through, and Dr. Maurer helped me get my Registered Medical Assistant degree.”

About a decade ago, Hanson found herself raising three daughters as a single mom and she searched for ways to cut costs.

“I knew exactly how many gallons it took for me to get from work to home,” Hanson said. “I couldn’t go anywhere else because I didn’t have the money for it. 

Hanson was also becoming disenchanted with the food offerings from local groceries, which she feels has too much sugar and additives to be healthy for her daughters.

“I started making my own jam, because my daughters were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I wanted something better for them,” Hanson said. “I would serve it to friends who came over, and they’d tell me they wanted some for themselves or to give as gifts to their family, and eventually I decided to make it a real business and I called it Mo Jam.”

Hanson debuted Mo Jam at the Market on 7th in Glenwood Springs around six years ago, and since then has been showing up to public events like Silt Heyday and more, winning first place ribbons and holding classes at the Garfield County Rodeo.

“I use fruit, sugar, and pectin, which is a binding agent and the one I use activates when I use a low amount of sugar,” Hanson explained. “That’s all that’s in there.”

Hanson has creative flavors like Rosemary Pear, Apricot Bourbon, and Blackberry Lime, which she said was a mistake. 

“It was supposed to be Blueberry Lime, but we picked up the wrong fruit and ended up with this,” she said. “Now it’s one of my best sellers.”

She also cans vegetables and makes pickles, sometimes adding spices such as jalapenos.

“If I can grow the fruit or vegetables I use in my products, I will,” Hanson said. “I grow the rhubarb in my Strawberry Rhubarb jam, so if I can do it, I will.”

Hanson also sells eggs from her chickens, which are laid fresh and available when she sets up her tables. 

“My youngest daughter, Faith, is my tastetester, and she’s very proud of that,” Hanson said. “I try to spend as much time as I can with my family.”

Time is important to Hanson, who says you can never get it back. 

“If you make money and lose it, you can get it back,” Hanson said. “If I spend a minute with someone, I’ll never get it back, so I try to spend it doing the things I want and with the people who make me happy.”

Hanson recently left her oncology job at Valley View because she felt stretched too thin between work, caring for an elderly patient, making jam and tending to her chickens and gardens.

“I liked that job, but I was just doing too much,” she said. “I still don’t have a lot of free time, but I enjoy what I’m doing, I love making jam.”

In the little free time she has, Hanson reads and attends a women’s Bible group in New Castle, which she says has been a great experience. 

“I believe the lord has always been a part of my life,” Hanson said. “Even the times that were hard and more difficult, I always felt him with me and if I hadn’t gone through those things, I wouldn’t have what I have now, and I don’t regret any of those times.”

Mo Jam is currently being sold wherever Hanson sets up, particularly at farmer’s markets, events and other festivals. Visit Facebook for more information on Mo Jam.