Charles next to a display stand of Jenny's Gourmet products.

"When I began toying with the idea of producing condiments, I went to the CEO of one of the biggest supermarket chains (a former American and an old acquaintance) for advice. He said to me, "Make something that nobody else makes and create a demand.'" Challenged by the notion, Charles Schneideman , a native of New Zealand set off to make a unique product for the Israeli shelves.That was in the late 1980s. "My wife Jan and I had always been creative at concocting foods in the kitchen. What we came up with after quite a bit of puttering around were marinades to supplement the poor quality of meat here, as well as marmalades, jams, chutneys and relishes, all pretty much unknown to the Israeli consumer." Jenny's Gourmet Foods was born . "My wife's name is January, but everyone calls her Jenny, so that became the name of the company.

"We began producing from a small factory near our home on our Moshav, but the Ministry of Health was unhappy with our premises, so we took a proper food factory in Herzliya, where the company went from strength to strength."

What made Charles leave a successful career as manager of L.D. Nathan, New Zealand's largest importer of non-food products, to come with his wife Jan and their four boys to Israel? "My mother was born here. In fact, my family goes back to the 17th century in Jerusalem, but in the early part of this century when times were particularly tough, my grandfather was offered the plum job of assistant chief rabbi to the small New Zealand Jewish community." So they upped and went south. "The pull to return to Eretz Yisrael always existed. But, it was really Jan who gave me the push. She felt that it was just too difficult to bring up our four boys properly Jewish in New Zealand." So in 1979, the six Schneidemans became residents of the Merkaz Klita in Ra'anana. A thoughtful gentleman with an intellectual and spiritual nature, Charles recalls their cramped quarters with a chuckle. "The six of us were in one room and don't forget, Ra'anana was quite different in the late 70s. Half the streets were sand, and the food on the store shelves made New Zealand look like a gourmet paradise."

After a distasteful episode with one of Israel's larger food producers which copied Jenny's Gourmet Kitchen products, Charles had to keep his chin up, his eyes alert and begin again. "But Jenny's is back in business," Charles smiles. "We have decided to specialize in what was most successful; marinades and our horseradish. We have also introduced a range of glazes (Teriyaki, Hawaiian and Ginger) - the kind you spoon over the chicken while it is cooking, pesto, tomato sauces and tartar sauce." Charles has found a new distributer and is selling to restaurants and hotels, meat companies and in some upscale groceries.

"Let's face it though, our audience in Israel is limited. These are products for the Ashkenazi palate, and things like chutney are even more limited to Anglo-Saxon and Indian consumers." So perhaps the most crucial decision Charles made was to focus on the export market. "The market in Israel isn't what it was even five, six years ago. Since the free trade agreement with the US, the shelves are flowing with every imaginable product from the US. It makes it hard for Israeli producers to compete. On the other hand, Israel is a restrictive market, so our long term picture has to focus on export" Their horseradish is now selling in Canada, Australia, Paris and South Africa.

What advice does someone who has been through some hard knocks have to offer olim. "It is a tough game. You can't go into it undercapitalized. And you have to know that the main competition comes from outside Israel."

But Charles admits that he has had a lot of fun. "It is an adventurous and creative business and I get a great sense of satisfaction when I see people enjoying our products."