Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard uses her glamorous mother friends (rather than celebrities) to show off the first products
Since Meghan Markle launched American Riviera Orchard little over a month ago, the details of what her lifestyle brand will look like have remained a mystery – that is, until a few of her close pals revealed they had been gifted jars of one of her products.
Kelly McKee Zajfen, Tracy Robbins and Delfina Blaqiuer have posted snaps on their Instagram stories of the Duchess’s first batch of jam, of which she appears to have made 50 jars.
Each jar is labelled with the plush Californian American Riviera Orchard branding, and numbered out of 50 – suggesting Meghan has carefully selected 50 recipients to try her first batch. The jars are secured with a lid and a muslin cloth, tied together with twine.
As Meghan’s pals sing the product’s praises and thank the Duchess for the gift, the earliest recipients of her products perhaps indicate her target market – the stylish, busy and very glamorous mother.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at some of Meghan’s very first customers to gain an insight into who American Riviera Orchard will appeal to…
Delfina Blaquier
Meghan Markle has begun distributing jam from American Riviera Orchard to 50 of her pals, including fellow ‘polo wife’ Delfina Blaquier (pictured at Berkshire Polo Club, UK in 2018)
Meghan’s fellow ‘polo-wife’ Delfina Blaquier is married to Prince Harry’s best pal, Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Figueras – otherwise known as ‘the David Beckham of polo’.
Delfina first met her husband at a polo match in Buenos Aires in 1997. They started dating in early 1998 and welcomed their first son in 2000, and wed in December 2005. The couple now have four children together: Hilario; Aurora; Artemo; and Alba.
Nacho and Prince Harry have been playing in charity polo matches, both together and against each other, for the last decade, with Nacho becoming involved in Harry’s charity Sentebale.
As the polo players have become friends, so have their wives, who have been spotted cheering on their husbands in matches across the US, while each nailing their polo spectator outfits.
Delfina posted a snap on her Instagram story of the jam jar she had received from Meghan, which was the 10th in the batch
It seems Meghan and Delfina’s friendship has developed significantly over the last few years, with the Argentine socialite referring to the Duchess as her ‘sister’ in a gushing Instagram post.
Posting a photo of herself and the Duchess watching their husbands compete at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, she wrote: ‘M – looking forward to many more of these times with you and H.
‘Getting to spend time together over these two months was so special. I wish everyone knew you the way you are.’
She continued: ‘My sister, my now fellow “pwife” (polo wife) -genius of you to come up with this. Can’t wait to see you again soon, to share thrill, hikes, and just more chill time.’
Delfina added: ‘You also have my respect. Keep walking, steady and strong. Listen to your heart, that will guide you well, because you have a big one and it’s a beautiful one. I love you my darling.’
She also praised the royal mother-of-two as being ‘stronger than she knows’ in an interview with Hello! magazine in the same year.
‘[Meghan] is so wonderful and strong. Stronger than she knows. I love being around my friends, and I will always support her,’ she told the magazine.
In an earlier interview with the publication, Delfina, who splits her time between Argentina and Florida, also revealed that the pair referred to themselves as the ‘P Wives’ which stands for ‘Polo Wives’.
Kelly McKee Zajfen
Kelly McKee Zajfen is Meghan’s close friend of many years. The Duchess now supports her Alliance of Moms campaign following the sudden death of her son George in 2022
Kelly posted a sweet snap on her Instagram story of her new jam sitting among a bowl of lemons – she received the third jar in the batch
Meghan Markle’s friendship with Kelly McKee Zajfen dates back to long before she became a member of the royal family.
The former Suits actress met the model through her ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, who is friends with Kelly’s entertainment lawyer husband Julian.
Julian and Kelly are based in California, where the mother dedicates much of her time to her Alliance of Moms and Alliance for Children’s rights campaigns.
The Alliance for Children’s Rights is a non-profit providing free legal services and support for caregivers, adoptive parents and children in the care system in LA. The Alliance of Moms, which she co-founded, focuses on young people in foster care who are parents themselves.
Its work includes providing doulas, mental and physical healthcare, stable housing and therapy for these youths.
Much of the 44-year-old’s charity work is driven by her late son George, who suddenly passed away in 2022.
Since his death, Kelly has launched campaigns in his memory, such as the #sunsetsforGeorgie trend on Instagram where people took the time to watch sunsets, something her son loved to do.
Meghan has been a key support for Kelly over the last few years since George’s death, and a close friend in the years prior.
The Duchess was pictured with Kelly wearing a CommUnity Motherhood t-shirt during an event for her Alliance of Moms campaign.
Harry and Meghan also donated $5,000 in the names of their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to a GoFundMe campaign set up in George’s memory.
Tracy Robbins
The Duchess of Sussex also sent a jar of jam to fashion designer Tracy Robbins, who is married to Paramount CEO Brian Robbins (couple pictured with Meghan and Harry at the Bob Marley: One Love premiere in January)
Tracy also posted a photo on her Instagram story of her jar of jam, which she said will make breakfast ‘a little sweeter’
Tracy Robbins is a fashion designer based in LA. Her line, the Tracy James Collection which was released in 2022 features dresses and kaftans perfect for the hot California weather.
According to her website, Tracy was born in Texas and moved around a lot as a child because she came from a military family.
After spending time living in Germany, Japan and Thailand, she was inspired by the cultures of her childhood when designing her fashion line.
Many of the materials used in her designs come from northern Thailand, where her mother is from.
She is married to Brian Robbins, the Chief Executive of Paramount, and the couple share three children, Miles, 23, Justin, 21, and Stella, seven.
The power couple recently appeared with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Jamaica where they all attended the world premiere of the Bob Marley biopic.
The foursome were pictured on the red carpet ahead of the event.
More recently, Tracy and Brian attended the Oscars and its glamorous Vanity Fair afterparty.
Other pals in Tracy’s circle include Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi and Kelly Rowland – another of Meghan’s pals.
