This Husband-And-Wife Duo Aims To Redefine Luxury Through Culture And Commerce With Jam Vino – AfroTech

Jam Vino by Chef Lorious is a line of wine-infused gourmet jams. Made with 100% real fruit and five all-natural ingredients, it’s vegan, gluten-free, family-friendly, and rich in fine wine flavor.

Behind the brand are Chef Lorious “Lori” Rogers and her husband, Shane Rogers — a duo building at the intersection of Black love, innovation, and ownership.

With no prior manufacturing experience, the couple entered the consumer packaged goods industry head-on. They created a new category while sourcing co-packers, navigating compliance, scaling production, and growing a nationally recognized brand.

“The truth is, it’s really kind of getting into what do you have, who are you, and what can you make that’s an expression of yourself? And it doesn’t have to always be that thought out and that much intention,” Lori told AFROTECH™.

The Making Of Jam Vino

Beyond product formulation, innovation isn’t just about taste or creating something different — it’s about creating something personal.

For Chef Lori, that innovation came from self-discovery. She grew up as a young Black girl in California wine country, with family roots in Alabama, and immersed herself in both wine culture and Southern tradition. She recalls making jams and preserves with her family and spending time in church.

“Taking the tradition of jam — Southern jam making — with wine country and bringing them together and enjoying the time in the kitchen creating, that’s how innovation, for me, came,” Lori said.

Shane notes the brand is deeply rooted in culture — and the power of owning it.

“The culture drives commerce, and then when culture owns the product, the upside is even better,” he added. “And then we’re able to take advantage of the fact that Black consumers aren’t just buying more things, they’re buying better. And our product happens to sit right smack there where that culture and premium and quality starts to come into the picture. … We’ve figured out how to make something premium gourmet, and what we call it is everyday luxury for everyday people.”

How Technology Powers Jam Vino’s Growth

While the human touch is impossible to replace, technology plays a key role in how Jam Vino operates and scales. As a small business with national reach, the team uses technology to streamline operations across the board — from sourcing and production to distribution and retail.

For her part, Chef Lori, a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast, leans into digital tools to support the precision required at scale, including calculating measurements, controlling temperature, and ensuring safety. “Jam making is very scientific,” she said.

Technology also plays a critical role on the back-end and marketing side of the business, with the couple leaning on AI support across nearly every touchpoint. This helps the brand scale efficiently while keeping costs down — something Shane says would be “impossible” without the technology.

“The integration of how we leverage our AI in our marketing and our social media presence. … We leverage it from everything from a pitch deck all the way to a post and then to a strategy … We’re able to leverage technology to give us scale,” he explained to AFROTECH™.

How Love Shapes The Brand

At the heart of Jam Vino is a love story built on complementing each other’s strengths.

Lori and Shane have found a rhythm that allows them to balance business and marriage, leading with the understanding that before anything else, they have each other. At the end of the day, they’re always there to catch one another and serve as a safety net.

For Shane, that means leading on the business side — handling negotiations, distribution, and strategy — while giving Lori the space to focus on creativity and creation.

“It means that you can still kiss at the beginning and end of the day, even when you disagree, even when you’re worn out,” he said. “The resilience you have in business is rooted in the fact that I’ve already got and know what a covenant relationship feels like. I know what unconditional love, resiliency, staying power, not giving up, getting the right resources, knowing my strengths and weaknesses, and being willing to allow my wife, my spouse, to be able to do what she does. And she allows me to do what I do.”

Still, that balance doesn’t come without challenges.

“It’s [about] respecting each other, figuring out and being able to admit what you’re not good at, which is sometimes hard, and listening to the other person,” Lori added. “But knowing that saying, ‘You’re better at this than me,’ is not an admission of weakness. It’s actually putting you in a position of strength because the thing that I can’t do well, my partner, Shane … he’s got that.”

Defining A Legacy Beyond The Product

As for legacy, the couple isn’t just building a product. Jam Vino represents generational creativity, culture, and the power of building something from scratch. Together, Chef Lori and Shane hope to define a category and lay the foundation for a brand that will drive innovation for generations to come.

“Jam Vino was birthed out of the soil of our authentic roots, infused with passion and love that was made to share,” the couple told AFROTECH™.

“As Black business owners, we know that culture drives commerce — and when culture owns the product, the upside is unlimited. We must make sure that we own what we create, and ensure that what we create represents the very essence of who we are … that is legacy,” they added.