Meghan Markle’s Rescue Beagle Is Helping Promote Her New Brand

Meghan Markle’s first product from her American Riviera Orchard brand has been revealed and it’s all hands on deck when it comes to promotion. Her longtime pal and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer has taken up the gauntlet, promoting Markle’s jam on social media. Even Markle’s rescue beagle Mamma Mia has gotten in on the sales game.

American Riviera Orchard, Markle’s new lifestyle brand, soft launched its first product last week by sending limited edition jars of jam to some close friends of the Duchess of Sussex. Friends like Mindy Kaling, who shared a photo of the jam (#19 of 50) on her Instagram Story and noted she was “obsessed” with it, so it must be pretty delicious jam. And Abigail Spencer (#6 of 50), who loved it so much she took it outside and put it in a special basket, rolling around on the grass with the jam and oh yes, Markle’s rescue beagle Mamma Mia.

“This jam is my jam,” Spencer captioned her Instagram post. “A delicious taste of what’s to come indeed… love you so M.” That “M” could stand for either Meghan Markle or Mamma Mia, because Spencer certainly looked like she was loving that sweet beagle as they rolled around in the grass together.

No word on Mamma Mia’s feelings about the jam as of yet, but we bet she appreciates her mom’s little personal touches. Like making the label herself using her own calligraphy skills. Amazing.

While some of Markle’s critics might think it’s beyond the pale to rope a dog into selling jam or any of her other impending kitchen and houseware products, but I suspect Mamma Mia herself would disagree. She was rescued by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2022 when she was 7 years old after giving birth to eight puppies in Virginia, where she was being kept as a breeder. When Markle found out about the facility where Mia was being kept, she reached out to Beagle Freedom Project attorney Shannon Keith to ask to visit the rescued dogs and immediately fell for Mamma Mia. “The duchess is holding Mia and was like, ‘We’re adopting her,’” Keith told the Los Angeles Times. “She was like ‘No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy. … We want ones we can help who are older.’”

So what’s a little roll in the grass to help keep the family business afloat after being rescued? Especially since Mamma Mia has two dog pals to play with at her new Montecito, California home. Feels like a fair trade to me.