Butter Up

I don’t each much peanut butter.  Until recently, I would only use the cheap stuff to fill my pups’ Kongs but otherwise didn’t buy it. That was until I heard about Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter from New Zealand and picked up a few jars at Central Market. Peanut Butter from New Zealand. Why?

Well, turns out that a couple of Kiwis know a thing or two about this quintessentially American food and they’ve created a product line that is non-GMO and free of palm and low on other oils, artificial sweeteners and additives often found in peanut butter. The ingredients are simple: peanuts, salt and, depending on the type, natural flavorings and sweeteners. The texture of the peanut butter is silky and full, and the flavors are rich, earthy, and just a little sweet.  I was so intrigued by the product, I wanted to interview the co-owner of Fix & Fogg to find out what makes this peanut butter so different from any others I’ve tasted.  I asked if we could do the interview via Zoom, each of us with mouths full of Fix & Fogg peanut butter but, alas, the time difference made it hard to schedule. I settled for an email interview.

Roman Jewell and his wife Andrea, a couple of recovering lawyers from Wellington, New Zealand, launched Fix & Fogg, named for the characters in Jules Vernes’ Around the World in 80 Days, in 2013.  In addition to making an award-winning product line that has received top honors in New Zealand, Fix & Fogg is also a Certified B Corporation, meaning it uses its business as a force for good in the world, balancing profit with purpose.

“I consider our business to be more than just nut butters,” Roman told me. “I’m really proud of the values that underpin Fix & Fogg. We were New Zealand’s first B Corp certified food business. We donate large amounts of peanut butter to charities in both New Zealand and the United States because I’m a big believer in supporting the communities that support us,” he added.

I’m a big believer in supporting companies that support our communities.  Good thing I like this peanut butter.

The peanuts in Fix & Fogg’s peanut butter were carefully sourced, and after much searching, the couple found them in Cordoba, Argentina, where peanuts have been cultivated since 1872. Roman said he fell head over heels for the place and the passion of its farmers. 

“The terroir of Cordoba peanuts is naturally sweeter, resulting in an amazing tasting peanut butter,” he added.

These peanuts are called hi-oleic runner peanuts which are bursting with monounsaturated “good fats.” I spoke to Dr. Anne VanBeber, registered dietitian, and chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Christian University about these products and their health benefits. “Scientific research indicates that oleic acid helps to lower LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) in our blood and reduces the risk for heart disease,” she told me.

Now having tasted several flavors of Fix & Fogg, I feel like a Kong, constantly being stuffed with peanut butter. I can’t resist. My favorite is the Dark Chocolate peanut butter (on a honey graham cracker) but found the Smoke & Fire flavor intriguing and created a more sophisticated version of the childhood snack “Ants on a Log” using it. The richness and pure peanut flavor of the plain smooth peanut butter is remarkable, and the crunchy styles are teeming with peanuts.

The company’s best-selling product in the world is the Everything Butter, which is a combination of seeds; hemp, chia, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and flax; and nut butters, peanut and almond. It’s crunchy, a little sweet, a little savory, and very healthy. “Hemp, chia, pumpkin, and flax seeds are good sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats that help to enhance the immune system, fight inflammation, and are a great addition to our diet,” VanBeber notes. 

“Inflammation in the body is the leading cause of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancers.  In addition, most people are unaware that sesame seeds and almonds provide much needed calcium to the body.”

I add a heaping teaspoon of the Everything Butter to my morning oatmeal and sprinkle Craisins on it, which fills me up for the day.

Roman and Andrea are always creating and will launch six new nut butter flavors in the U.S., including an Almond, Cashew and Maple Butter which I hope is launched by Thanksgiving, so I can add it to mashed roasted butternut squash to make a delicious side dish for my diabetic father in law, which got the seal of approval from Dr. VanBeber.

“With the carbohydrate, fat and protein profile of the Almond Cashew and Maple Butter, it’s appropriate for those following a diet for diabetics,” she said.

Now also produced in the U.S., Fix & Fogg products are available on Amazon, Central Market and, if you’re in Houston, you can find them at a little window shop in Montrose.  For more information on Fix & Fogg and for recipes, click here.

Spicy, Smokey Ants On A Log

• Organic celery, cut in sticks
• Fix & Fogg’s Smoke & Fire Peanut Butter Craisins
• Curry Powder

Toss Craisins in mild curry powder and set aside.  Smear F&F’s Smoke & Fire Peanut Butter in the curve of a celery stalk.  Place curried Craisins on top of the peanut butter.  You’re welcome.