BUTTER-NUTTY?
YOU might not believe it at first, but that jar of peanut butter in your kitchen can be the start of a great meal packed with just the right amount of nutrients.
Peanut butter is on most shopping lists because it’s easy to spread on bread (with or without jam) and makes for a filling sandwich.
But now there is a move away from all the preservatives and stabilisers in the mass-produced peanut butter because of health concerns, especially for children.
This, in part, motivated Debbie Ncube from Durbanville to quit her job as an accountant and start her own peanut butter brand. Eden All Natural is 100% peanut butter with none of the extra sugar and preservatives.
“When I was growing up, we used to take one big stone and one small stone and grind a few peanuts until we had peanut butter we could lick off our fingers,” Ncube said. “I started the business on a small scale, my first big client was a gym owner in Cape Town who tasted the peanut butter and was convinced of the health benefits – that was four years ago.”
She had to quickly secure the machinery to begin making her product in larger batches to keep up with demand, which also increased when she opened a stall at the V&A Waterfront in 2013.
Her peanut butter is smooth but thicker than most commercial brands and because of the lack of added sugar, the flavour of the nuts is stronger.
It was this that attracted Pick n Pay to start negotiations with Ncube to secure her product for its shelves, a move that has grown her business into a peanut butter powerhouse.
Today, Eden All Natural peanut butter has five variants: original (smooth or crunchy), chocolate, cinnamon and raisin, hot and spicy (chilli) and seeded nutty.
The choc chips in the chocolate variant are great for when you do want a sugar rush or want to spoon it straight out of the jar for an indulgent snack. The seeded nutty butter is also tasty, as the seeds are roasted for a rich, aromatic flavour.
The unsaturated fats in all-natural peanut butter is good for you and there are many health benefits associated with peanuts and, of course, peanut butter.
Peanuts are packed with potassium, fibre and magnesium, so check the label on your peanut butter and make sure you’re getting all the peanutty goodness.
“Having a healthy product is very important to me, because lifestyle diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure is on the increase,” Ncube added.
“I have three rules: the peanut butter must be healthy, palatable and tasty.”