Galesburg, Ill. — Since opening Malley Farms Small Batch Canning & Specialty Foods, owner Nikki Malley has learned one thing for sure: People can’t fake their reactions to food.
Part of her business is offering customers the chance to sample the products she sells.
“I genuinely love watching somebody try something,” she said. “You can lie about a lot of things, but it’s pretty impossible to lie about food.”
Many of the items sold in her Seminary Street store are unfamiliar to local palates, from spicy sauces to niche finds like pistachio butter and finishing oils. Malley offers a wide selection of samples, allowing customers to make informed purchases with confidence.
Encouraging tasting helps break down barriers and hesitations about trying new foods, she said. Malley also pushes against the idea that only “foodies” should enjoy access to diverse or distinctive flavors.
From Home Canning to Creative Jams
The heart of her business started after Malley’s mother-in-law taught her how to can jams. From there, Malley began experimenting with small batches, eventually adding her own twists—such as carrot cake jam and blood orange and amaretto jelly.
She began selling her goods at the Galesburg Farmers Market and other local venues. Within a few years, she developed a plan for a brick-and-mortar shop.
Malley moved into the Seminary Street location in November 2022.
“It took us over a year to get the commercial kitchen construction finished,” she said. “By 2023, we were running at 50 percent of what the final vision was. It wasn’t until February 2024 that the kitchen was done, inspected, and licensed. We started producing at our current levels and opened six days a week. By the fall of last year, we opened seven days a week.”
A Small Space With Big Connections
Malley describes her operation as a hybrid business—retail, production, and online sales. Her parents owned a bookstore when she was growing up, so she understood the basics of running a small retail business.
“I intentionally wanted the retail space to be small, so that customers are in eye-line of the front counter, our kitchen, and staff,” she said. “If they have a question, they don’t have to try to search through the store to find somebody. The whole idea is to ask questions and have conversations with us.”
Malley produces her jams, jellies, and condiments in a production space located in the back half of the store. Customers can view the batch-cooking process from the large retail counter.
“I wanted people to come in and see where the products they are trying and buying are made,” she said. “You can walk in on a certain day and see these things being made by hand by real people.”
Malley’s offerings have expanded beyond small-batch canning to include charcuterie items and catering services. She hopes to add homemade confections soon.
Her online store features many of the same items available in person, along with a jam-of-the-month subscription box. She also envisions hosting tasting sessions and food preservation classes in the future.
Music, Food, and Fun
Before launching her store, Malley was a tenured music professor at Knox College, specializing in jazz. That background shapes her philosophy around food.
“In my years running the jazz program and the Jazz Rutabaga Festival here, New York artists would come to play for us and were constantly surprised that a small town like Galesburg could support this kind of modern, innovative jazz,” she said.
Malley said she quickly learned that people appreciate good music—and that the same principle applies to food.
“If you give people the opportunity to experience good culture—whatever that is, whether it’s music or theater or dance or literature—they’re into it. People feel the same way about food.”
Above all, Malley wants her customers to have fun exploring local food production and global flavors.
“This is a space where people can have fun,” she said. “I’ve been very, very lucky and grateful that people who have walked into our business have gotten what we’re trying to do.”
July 28, 2025
