Madam Rosmerta’s Oak-Matured Mead to Get OU Supervision

“It’s time for me to take my business beyond the magical community.”

Hogsmeade, July 10 – Connoisseurs of this wizarding village’s unique delicacies reported a wave of interest today following an announcement that the largest organization in the world handling certification of foodstuffs for compliance with Jewish dietary laws has signed an agreement to oversee production of an alcoholic beverage produced by the proprietress of the Three Broomsticks pub.

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, known by its abbreviated initials OU, entered into a contract with Madam Rosmerta last week to supervise the ingredients, equipment, and manufacturing process for the latter’s oak-matured mead, a spirit with growing popularity in the magical world, and to authorize the use of its logo on the product label to certify that the beverage conforms to the strictures of kashrut.

A spokesman for the kashrut arm of the agency told reporters that the arrangement for supervising the Three Broomsticks differs little from that in place elsewhere. “We just need our representative to be present to supervise the process and monitor what goes into the product,” explained Rabbi Abraham Juravel, the organization’s Ingredients Approval chief. “The fact that witchcraft takes place all around the facility has little bearing on the permissibility of the mead, since non-Jews are not bound by the Biblical prohibition against sorcery. For us, the hurdles are primarily logistical, save for the interesting question of the flavor imparted to the mead by oak barrels that might have seen prior use to store non-kosher wine, for example.”

Madam Rosmerta anticipates expanded sales as a result of the move. “It’s time for me to take my business beyond the magical community,” she asserted. “Magical or not, people who appreciate quality mead should be able to enjoy my best stuff, and what better way to expand the market for it than to tap into the spending power of the Jewish community? They have average family sizes that evoke the Weasleys, and that’s a growing demographic.”

Ministry of Magic personnel noted that for purposes of the arrangement the all-wizard village had to approve the presence of muggle Rabbis to perform the supervisory functions. “It’s unusual, but business is business,” stated ministry representative Penelope Clearwater. “The owner of the Hog’s Head raised some objections, but he’s entitled to make the same kind of arrangement if he wishes to sell his wares beyond the wizarding world. There’s no unfair competition going on here. As the Rabbi was kind enough to explain by analogy, the Talmud gives an example of a shopkeeper who protests when his competitor gives out fruits to neighborhood children to attract customers: the Rabbi of the town remarked that the objector, too, could give out sweets. Mr. Dumbledore can engage the OU or any of the many other kashrut-certifying agencies in the world for his products if he so chooses.”

Two manufacturers of butterbeer and firewhiskey already bear the OU symbol.

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