From jam to coworking

Photo: Colin Payne Photography

An old jam warehouse in the city of Nelson is about to get a 21st Century makeover.

Nelson tech start-up Retreat Guru is turning the historic Jam Factory building in downtown Nelson into a "vibrant, innovative coworking space."

It will become a spot where local tech and knowledge workers can work and swap ideas.

“We always had extra desk space available with our previous company, Blue Mandala. And we always had a positive experience working with other people who shared our office space,” said Jam Factory co-founder, Cameron Wenaus.

“So last year we decided to explore the coworking model. We had space available, so we took the lead and decided to rent more space in our building. From there, it took off.”

Cameron is working with his brother Deryk on the project. The brothers are currently working with local architect, Thomas Loh on renovations.

There will also be breakout rooms for private meetings and a yoga/meditation studio. 

The building is a timber-framed structure with stone exterior walls originally built in 1911 as a warehouse for the McDonald Jam Factory.

“There’s a lot of synthesis and a lot of cross-pollination that happens when you get people who work in similar industries working in one space; collaboration inevitably happens,” said Cameron.