Peanut butter tends to get a lot of flak, partly due to many regular commercial varieties containing both high levels of sugar as well as hydrogenated oils (from oils used in the normal roasting process) - Fix & Fogg claims to be different from these.
“Our peanut butter is made with just two ingredients - dark dry roasted Argentinian hi-oleic peanuts and a sparing amount of New Zealand Marlborough sea salt,” Fix & Fogg spokeswoman Emily Bray told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Hi-oleic peanuts are peanuts that contain higher levels of monounsaturated fats as compared to regular peanuts. Monounsaturated fats are also known as good fats, reducing low-density lipoproteins (LDL, bad cholesterol) and increasing high-density ones (HDL, good cholesterol).
“[Fix & Fogg uses] hi-oleic peanuts that contain high levels (39%) of monounsaturated fats,” she added.
Fats aside, the company’s peanut butter also boasts 4.1 grams of protein per serving and over 30 varieties of vitamins or minerals including copper, zinc, magnesium and Vitamins B3, B6 and E.
It also claims that the beta-sitosterol (a plant sterol) found it peanut butter can help to normalise high cortisol levels during times of stress and help to improve immunity.
“[Our nut butters are also] natural, healthy, GMO free, contain no palm oil, and [free from any other crazy ingredients you can't pronounce],” said Bray.
“[We have also created a] wide range of flavours that showcase some of our favourite New Zealand ingredients, which means there will be a nut butter for every taste.”
Current available flavours include Dark Chocolate (with Whittakers 62% Dark Chocolate), Smoke & Fire (with chillies, manuka smoke and sweet smoked paprika), Honey (with New Zealand Beechwood honey) and Fruit Toast (with organic raisins & sultanas, freeze dried apple and cinnamon).
The company launched in New Zealand in 2013, and has since expanded to be stocked in over 500 stores. It has since extended export operations to Australia and the Philippines.
Its most recent export destination was to Singapore earlier this year, citing high demand as its main reason for entering the country.
“In Singapore, our nut butters can be found in [traditional stores such as] Fairprice Finest and Meidi-Ya, via e-commerce platforms such as Redmart and Honestbee, as well as [food service outlets] like Cedele,” said Bray.
The retail price of each jar of peanut butter is NZ$7.00 (US$4.74). Classic Smooth and Super Crunchy variants come in 350ml jars, whereas all other flavours come in 250ml jars.
NPD and innovations
Although the company made its name in peanut butter, it is now looking to go beyond just the one type of nut.
“We have recently also added a crunchy Almond Butter to our line up, [also] made with only two ingredients - dry-roasted Nonpareil Almonds from Australia and a pinch of Marlborough sea salt,” said Bray.
Last month also saw the launch of Fix & Fogg’s latest innovation: the Everything Butter, made of eight nuts and seeds including hemp, chia, sesame, sunflower, flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds with peanuts and almonds.
“We’re especially excited to be showcasing hemp seeds, which are super tasty and incredibly nutritious,” said the company.
“Hemp seeds are one of the only complete sources of plant protein with a full spectrum of amino acids, they are rich in omega 3, 6, 9, and full of essential vitamins and minerals.”
The product was one of many hemp-infused food and beverage products that companies in New Zealand have been producing ever since the country moved to legalise hemp as a food last year.