Meghan Markle stepped into the world of entrepreneurship with the launch of her first product under her new business venture—a lifestyle brand named American Riviera Orchard.

The Duchess of Sussex gave the world its first taste of her brand with the unveiling of a new line of strawberry jams. A number of influencers, socialites, and friends of Meghan received the inaugural item from her range.

Designer Tracy Robbins posted an image on Instagram showing off jar number “17 of 50,” indicating that only 50 of the homemade strawberry jams were part of the first drop.

“@americanrivieraorchard breakfast, lunch and dinner just got a little sweeter,” said Tracy, a close friend of the Duchess.

“Thank you for the delicious basket! I absolutely love this jam so not sure I’m sharing with anyone. Thank you, M! #MontecitoGoodness #AmericanRivieraOrchard,” Tracy added in the Instagram story.

Meghan Markle gave the world its first taste of her brand by reportedly sending 50 jars of homemade strawberry jams to friends and influencers

Image credits: Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images

The recipients of the strawberry jam from Meghan’s debut offering included Argentinian model Delfina Blaquier, the wife of Nacho Figueras, a polo player and close friend of Prince Harry’s.

Delfina received jar “10 of 50” from the drop and shared a post about it on Instagram.

“Strawberry jam makes me happy. And I love your jam, @AmericanRivieraOrchard,” Delfina wrote and also shared an image of toast slathered with the jam.

While social media influencers and socialites enjoyed their first taste of the brand, others slammed Meghan’s entrepreneurial venture and criticized the touch of exclusivity that the debut launch came with.

The Duchess of Sussex faced backlash for the inaugural launch, with some calling it pretentious

Image credits: Vidapress

Some believed the numbering on the jars was a pretentious marketing gimmick.

“17 or 50! That’s hilarious, you would think it’s a limited print,” one wrote on social media, while another said, “Limited production for limited customers.”

Another said, “Did you not laugh at the pretentiousness of the 17/50 label? It is not exactly limited edition art is it.”

“Fifty pots of jam do not [make] a business empire… she is not creating anything except a brand. Everything will be made by other manufacturers and get her label slapped on it,” said another.

Some criticized the timing of her business venture for coming at the heels of Prince Charles and Kate Middleton’s cancer announcements.

“Meghan Markle is shameless. And it’s absolutely no coincidence that this gets publicized just as the world processes the weight and implications of the cancer diagnoses for King Charles and the Princess of Wales. This is calculated leech behavior by the Duchess of Montecito,” one wrote.

Netizens thought the numbering on the jars of strawberry jam was a pretentious marketing gimmick

Image credits: mrstracyrobbins

Some also went “tut tut” over the product label appearing to peel off in the pictures.

“Anybody notice the label on the promo jams Meghan Markle is sending to ‘friends’ is literally peeling off? Not a good start,” one said, while another quipped, “Cheap labels coming off. This is what people were waiting for?”

“The label is hanging off. Tut tut. Poor quality,” wrote another.

It was not just social media users that had plenty to say about the Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle brand. Los Angeles-based royal correspondent Kinsey Schofield also called the strawberry jams “another PR campaign.”

“Two years ago we were talking about this woman running for president, and now we’re talking about her making jam,” she was quoted telling TalkTV on Tuesday, April 16.

“Oh how the mighty have fallen,” Kinsey continued.

“These are gifted influencers packages that some of her contacts received but if I go to the American Riviera Orchard website today I cannot purchase (the jam),” she added.

“The label is hanging off. Tut tut. Poor quality,” one social media user said

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