Last year I shared my interview with Abby Kircher the teenage creator of the delicious Abby’s Better Butters. Since my food blog been turned into an archive of past foodie exploits, and I’ve been working towards sharing about more of my foodie adventures at least once a week here on the blog, I thought I’d share this interview with you all. I really enjoy supporting local businesses, and if you love nut butters, then you’ll definitely want to check out Abby’s Better Butters.
Tell me about how you came up with the idea for Abby’s Better Butter.
When I started getting healthier (about 3 years ago) I switched from peanut butter to almond butter. I would get it plain from the store and soon learned to prefer it over the peanuts; however, I was getting tired of just having ‘plain’ butter, so I began making my own! I didn’t have to put artificial sweeteners or preservatives, I didn’t have to use peanut oils or peanut fillers, and I could make the taste exciting with different nuts and flavors. I shared with friends and family and they expressed how much they loved them (even the unhealthy ones!) My parents encouraged me to start selling, and even though I expected small venues at first, it has quickly grown into a full-fledged business and given my family and I a full time job!
Being a teenager, how does it feel to have already created a product of your own?
It is incredibly rewarding to know that I am doing something useful with my time while working for my future and the future of others. I always hope that my butters will be an inspiration to people (especially younger people) to have a healthier, longer life, without loosing the pleasure and fun along the way.
What is it like working with your dad?
I adore working with my dad, and my entire family. Everyone is so supportive and helpful. Our tight-knit family encourages us to strive for excellence with Abby’s Better Nut Butter.
Do you continue to make the products yourself or do you outsource it?
I make the product myself (with the help of family.) I believe it is important to make sure that the quality of the products is always the best it can be. That way I know that no corners are being cut and no exceptions made at the expense of health and tastiness.
What are the typical ingredients in your nut butters?
Well, nuts are pretty typical in by butters! I have always loved nuts for their protein and healthy fats. They are essential to my daily nutrition. None of my butters have more than 5 ingredients, they all contain coconut oil for smoothness, and are naturally sweetened. Other than that, you will find different ingredients, depending on the flavor (e.g. coconut in Coconut Cashew, dates in Date Pecan, and honey in Honey Almond).
Since your butters are sugar free what do you use for sweeteners?
My butters are free of artificial sweeteners that can be found in most other nut butters. The only sweeteners we use is the coconut for Coconut Cashew, dates for Date Pecan, honey for Honey Almond, and Strawberry for Strawberry Cashew.
What is your favorite out of the 5 flavors?
Truly, I love them all! If I had to choose though, it would be between Date Pecan and Coconut Cashew. The Date Pecan tastes like pecan pie, and the coconut has a rich, creamy flavor I find irresistible!
What sort of impact do you hope to make on the food market? Do you plan to expand the business?
I want my butters to impact the customers to crave and buy healthy foods that will nourish their bodies. Hopefully, if enough people see the importance and need for health in the food industry today, changes will start being made to improve our food, and nourish our bodies. As time goes on, we plan to sell at more and more stores from state to state, and soon create more ‘Abby’s Better’ products.
Tell me about the ways you’ve marketed your product thus far?
Demoing at different stores has been a huge marketing strategy for us because of the connections we make. We also go to as many farmer’s markets as we can and promote on Facebook and Instagram.
Do you have plans for other nut butter combinations in the works?
We are always brainstorming new and interesting ideas and flavors, considering different nuts, textures, and natural sweeteners to excite them.
Interested in trying Abby’s delicious nut butters? Check out her website: www.abbysbetter.com
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