Sisters Casey and Vanessa White grew up in western Massachusetts surrounded by the smells and taste of their family’s Polish deli. Their grandfather, known affectionately as “Jaju” (Polish for “grandfather”), opened a small deli in the 1950s where he and his siblings made traditional pierogi and other Polish dishes. Casey and Vanessa spent childhood weekends helping in their grandparents’ kitchen and freezer, where batches of pierogi were always “tucked in the freezer” ready to warm up for family meals. When the sisters went to college in Boston, they realized that store-bought pierogi didn’t come close to the ones from home. Motivated by this gap, they began making their grandfather’s handwritten recipes on Vanessa’s kitchen table in 2015.
By early 2016, Casey and Vanessa decided to share these family recipes beyond home. They took their first batch of pierogi to a local farmers market, where all their product sold out in about an hour. Encouraged by this response, they fulfilled pre-orders for dozens more, hand-delivering orders around town. Realizing there was clear demand, the sisters spent the next few years building the brand one step at a time. They promoted their pierogi at brewery pop-ups, street fairs, and regional festivals in and around Boston. In 2017, they began distributing to local grocery stores, turning the tables so that others could find high-quality pierogi on shelves. Throughout these efforts, Casey and Vanessa kept the focus on authenticity: they still use whole potatoes, real eggs, and butter, just as their grandfather did.
Over time, Jaju Pierogi steadily expanded beyond New England. By spring 2022, local news reported that Jaju products were carried in roughly 550 stores from Maine to Maryland. The COVID-19 pandemic, while disruptive to many businesses, coincided with a boost in home cooking and online ordering, further increasing the sisters’ confidence and reach. In late 2023, Jaju Pierogi secured outside investment — a $400,000 pre-seed funding round — to fuel broader distribution. These new resources were earmarked for expanding retail and foodservice partnerships. For example, starting in May 2024, Jaju launched in Whole Foods stores nationwide. Today, their pierogi can be found in over one thousand stores across the country, including natural foods markets and regional grocers listed on their website.
From the beginning, Casey and Vanessa stayed true to their heritage while also experimenting with new ideas. Their original potato-and-cheese pierogi recipe remains the same as Grandpa’s, but they’ve introduced other fillings to reach a wider audience. Examples include sweet potato & caramelized onion and jalapeño cheddar varieties. In the company’s own words, they hope to make pierogi taste “just like family made them,” balancing tradition with creativity. The sisters still prepare recipes “from scratch in Massachusetts,” and follow a “time-tested” process of mixing dough, stuffing fillings, and boiling to order. This commitment to quality helped Jaju gain a following among people who grew up with homemade pierogi and new customers alike. They now produce their pierogi in a commercial kitchen and can ship frozen pierogi directly to consumers, alongside related products like kielbasa and branded merchandise.
Nearly a decade after Casey and Vanessa first rolled out dough at a market stall, Jaju Pierogi has become a fixture in the refrigerated aisles of natural grocers and specialty markets. The sisters often reflect that their family’s recipes — and the memory of their grandfather’s deli counter — still guide every business decision. As they continue to scale, they emphasize maintaining that family feel. With their grandfather’s legacy at the core, Casey and Vanessa have turned his dishes into a modern food business, all while preserving the spirit of home cooking.
