The Untold Truth Of Fix And Fogg
We really, really love peanut butter. According to the New York Daily News, Americans eat three pounds of peanut butter, per person, per year. Talk about the untold truth of peanut butter. This impressive number is why you're likely to find dozens of different peanut butter brands in every supermarket, not to mention almond butter, cashew butter, and anything else that can be spread on toast. In this crowded field, it's difficult for any one nut butter to stand out, but there's a particular nut butter brand that has been creating a lot of buzz: Fix & Fogg. The New Zealand brand has been selling their nut butters in the States through Amazon for a few years (as per Stuff), and their innovative and unusual nut butter flavors and combos have proved so popular that they can now be found in supermarkets across America.
There are a few things that set Fix & Fogg nut butters apart, and it's not just their country of origin that's making them stand out on American shelves. Beyond the focus on quality, the brand has a deep commitment to environmental sustainability, manufacturing standards, and community engagement. Combine these values with the fact that they're continually releasing chocolate versions of their nut butters, and you've got a winning formula in our book.
It's time to learn the untold truth of Fix & Fogg nut butters.
The Fix & Fogg origin story
First of all, what's with the name? Well, according to the brand's website, founders Roman and Andrea Jewell left their lives as corporate lawyers to start a peanut butter business in 2014. Perhaps inspired by their daring leap into entrepreneurship, they named their new company after two characters in Jules Verne's classic Victorian adventure novel "Around the World in 80 Days" — Detective Fix and Phileas Fogg — and set out to make top quality peanut butter.
The first few years were a bit rocky, as with any new business. Lacking a commercial kitchen, the Jewells set up shop in a community lawn bowls club (via NZ US Council). According to What's On Invers, they were hard at work Friday nights, sieving the peanut pieces by hand to ensure the perfect crunchy to creamy ratio. The following day, the jars were sold at local markets.
Then, as The Spinoff explains, there was the time they rigged a thigh-toning machine to jiggle the air bubbles out of their nut butters. (Probably the best use for a contraption like that, ever.) But the Jewell's had their goals clear right from the start: to make amazing peanut butter with sustainable values. They stuck to their nut butter vision, and as soon as they made it onto our breakfast toast, we knew they were here to stay. Seriously, they're delicious. But wait until you hear about the flavors.
The best part of Fix & Fogg are the flavors
We'll preface this by saying that at the moment, access to the full range of flavors is limited to Fix & Fogg's lucky, lucky Kiwi customers; there's currently a total of 15 to choose from in their New Zealand store! In their USA store you can buy 13 of them — we're currently missing out on Fruit Toast and Choc Berry Everything, but we do have Chocolate Almond Butter, so things could be worse.
The flavors include your standard peanut butters (Super Crunchy and Smooth), as well as smooth and crunchy almond butters. There's even a smooth cashew butter (a dream).
Then it starts getting weird, innovative, wild! Let's start with Everything Butter, which is a mix of eight nuts and seeds: hemp, chia, sesame, sunflower, flax and pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and almonds. It's delicious.
There's also Granola Butter (known as Oaty Nut Butter in the U.S.), Almond Butter with Cashew and Maple, Coffee and Maple, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (move over, Nutella), the aforementioned Chocolate Almond Butter, and something called Smoke and Fire, which blends the original Super Crunchy with Hatch chile, Manuka smoke, and smoked paprika. Yep, you can get peanut butter with chilies in it.
You've never had nut butter like this, but you definitely need to. I mean, can you imagine how Fix & Fogg could up your PB&J game?
How is Fix & Fogg peanut butter made?
Most peanut butters usually list more than just peanuts on the label. Pretty much every jar is made with salt too (and we wouldn't have it any other way!), but environmental nasties like palm oil and unnecessary additives like sugar are often included too. Palm oil production contributes massively to tropical deforestation, so if you're able to be choosy about your grocery-store habits, it's definitely worth reading the label.
Perhaps one of the reasons Fix & Fogg's peanut butter taste so good is they have seriously high standards when it comes to their ingredients and manufacturing processes. According to their official website, Fix & Fogg nut butters are free of additives and emulsifiers, and most of them are sugar-free.
Their peanuts are hi-oleic (full of heart-healthy fats), come from the Córdoba region of Argentina, and are roasted to a color so specific that, according to Eat This, Not That, it has its own Pantone shade (unfortunately no word on the number or name of that shade). The roasted peanuts are then combined with organic sea salt from New Zealand's Marlborough region.
These people really care about peanut butter, and we mean really care. But then again, New Zealanders understand that good food is serious business. It is the land where (possibly) the world's largest potato was discovered, after all. So. Many. Chips.
The company holds a 'design your own nut butter' competitions
As if they didn't have enough delicious flavors already, Fix & Fogg decided to up the ante by announcing a competition to "design your own nut butter" in October 2021 (via Scoop). Although the competition closed on November 11, it was open to nut butter fans in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the good old USA.
However, even if you missed out in 2021, don't despair: The company also ran the competition in 2019, so there's hope that they'll roll it out again in 2022. The 2019 competition winner, S'mores Peanut Butter, beat out both Rocky Road (yes!) and Mushy Peas (no, please no) nut butters. We never knew what we were missing with regular s'mores.
According to Fix & Fogg, "To create our S'mores PB we combined smooth Dark Chocolate peanut butter with creamy marshmallows, handcut biscuit pieces and some extra chocolatey goodness." Pure genius. Sadly, the flavor was only produced in a limited run of 100 jars that were shipped directly to the winners of the competition, plus an additional dozen jars were auctioned off for charity (more on that later) .
We still remain hopeful that S'mores Peanut Butter will one day hit the shelves permanently. In the meantime, let's get brainstorming for the next nut butter competition!
The Wellington, New Zealand shop window is super cute
Wellington, New Zealand is known as one of the "coolest little capitals in the world," having been dubbed New Zealand's number one destination by Lonely Planet in 2018 (per the New Zealand Herald). As it is not only the home of multiple craft breweries, incredible coffee shops, and unique tourist attractions, but also Fix & Fogg, we are inclined to agree. Traverse down the mysterious and funky alleyway that is Eva Street, and you'll encounter the Fix & Fogg shop window (stop by Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. — look for the peanut butter flag that signifies they are open).
According to Stuff, this is where it all began, in a 420 square foot basement. Although the production has moved to a larger facility since, the original window still remains. Lucky Wellingtonians can purchase jars at the shop, as well as coffee, toast with nut butters and jam, porridge, and even a toasted sandwich. They've even done ice cream in previous summers. Basically, it's worth going to New Zealand just for this. Oh, and the natural beauty or whatever.
The Houston one is even cuter
Americans, don't worry: Fix & Fogg hasn't forgotten about you! If you're fortunate enough to live in Houston and you've got some time weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., you can pop down to the Space City's very own Fix & Fogg shop window in Montrose to experience some nut butter toast (and slightly cheaper jars of the good stuff, according to Culture Map Houston).
It's all part of the plan for Fix & Fogg to expand across America (and beyond). As per Stuff, the company had been selling to Americans through Amazon for a couple of years before they opened their U.S. production facility in January of 2020, meaning that they have been able to keep the American public well-supplied with nut butters throughout the pandemic.
In fact, the demand for Fix & Fogg nut butters Stateside has led to the brand inking some huge distribution deals with major domestic supermarket chains. (Whole Foods, anyone?) An announcement on the brand's Instagram from July 2021 confirmed that Fix & Fogg nut butters are now available in every Whole Foods across the country. And according to their website, they're also available in Sprouts, Gelson's, Fresh Direct, and many more retailers!
Fix & Fogg is coming for the rest of the world, too
The Fix & Fogg world domination plan does not stop in the United States. Much like the characters in the novel for which they're named, they seem to have a plan to be sold in 80 countries around the world.
According to Food Navigator Asia, the company signed a deal with supermarket chain Woolworths Australia in 2021, although only two nut butters — the Everything Butter and Granola Butter — are currently available. Oddly, neither of the options sold in Woolworths are pure peanut butter, but things can be a little different down under. Australian fans can also purchase the full lineup online via Coffee Supreme.
But Fix & Fogg haven't stopped there: they're also stocked at retaliers throughout Singapore, China and in Manila, Philippines. As for the rest of the world? For now, if you can't find Fix & Fogg in your country's supermarket, there's always the option to order online!
Fix & Fogg focuses on sustainable practices
As one might expect from a company so invested in their peanut processes, Fix & Fogg care deeply about sustainability, and they don't just talk the talk: they walk the walk, too. Or rather, they cycle. Their sustainability practices are detailed on their website, and include plastic-free deliveries and jar recycling at their windows. Peanut butter lovers in Wellington will even have their orders delivered by bicycle!
The company is also Orangutan Alliance certified, meaning that they're palm oil free, and are committed to paying their employees both in New Zealand and the United States a living wage.
Additionally, as Scoop reports, in 2020 Fix & Fogg became the first New Zealand-owned food manufacturer to become B Corp Certified. The certification is given after assessment in five categories: governance, workers, environmental impact, community engagement, and customers.
As Fix & Fogg note on their blog, their certification means they join fellow New Zealand companies Allbirds and Peoples Coffee, as well as global giants like Patagonia, in the (thankfully!) ever-growing movement towards more sustainable business practices.
The company gives away a lot of nut butter
Fix & Fogg's strong values don't just cover the company's excellent sustainability record, they also extend to their work in the community. Remember that S'mores Peanut Butter, the "design your own nut butter" competition winner in 2019? As well as the 100 jars given directly to the lucky winner, the Fix and Fogg website explains that they made 12 extra jars to be auctioned off for charity. All of the NZD $3,000 proceeds (about $2030 USD) went to the New Zealand Women's Refuge, helping to support victims of family violence. That's some pretty powerful nut butter.
And, since 2014, Fix & Fogg have done a yearly Super Crunchy Pride Peanut Butter, with 10% of the proceeds going to charities who support the rainbow community. But it's not just their community in New Zealand they aim to support. Another initiative the Fix & Fogg team have cooked up is their Lucky Dip Butter, which takes nut butters from the end of their production runs and donates them to charities in both New Zealand and America. Where possible, they're even packaged in reused jars (you can return your jars at the Fix & Fogg shop windows in Wellington and Houston).
As detailed on their website, Fix & Fogg have also partnered with several other local organizations near their Houston hub, such as Search Homeless, Camp Aranzuzu, and the Salvation Army of Greater Houston. We love a nut butter that does good.
Fix & Fogg once collaborated on a peanut butter beer
Obviously, nut butter is one of the best things to grace this earth, but there are certain beverages that are also on that list. As it turns out, Fix & Fogg aren't just pushing the flavor boundaries when it comes to their nut butters.
As Stuff explains, in 2019 the esteemed nut butter company joined forces with a New Zealand brewery, Behemoth Brewing Company, to create an incredible dark chocolate peanut butter imperial stout beer. They called it "The Fix," and it clocked in at 8.5% alcohol by volume — definitely not a session beer for a warm, sunny day in the beer garden with your friends. (How cute is that logo, though?!)
Now, this alcoholic peanut butter beauty was a limited edition run, but now that Fix & Fogg are well on their way to conquering the world, we can't help but hope that history will repeat itself, and the great chocolate peanut butter beer will rise again.
The founders have a super cute love story
The reason that Fix & Fogg nut butters are so good is simple: It isn't just that the flavors are unique, that their sustainability cred is through the green roof, or the fact that they serve it on toast out of a cute window. No — that secret ingredient is actually love. That's right, good, old-fashioned love, courtesy of the company's two founders, Roman and Amanda Jewell.
As Stuff explains, the couple met in London when they were both doing their Masters in Law at King's College London. With two classes together, they hit it off right away, and ended up taking a quick trip to Turkey together as friends (as you do). By the end of the trip, they were together. Andrea, who was born in the U.K., took a sabbatical from her high-powered London law career and came to live with Roman in New Zealand for a year, and the rest is history.
But what about the nut butter business? Well, with two successful law careers between them, it wasn't the most obvious choice, especially without a commercial kitchen. As What's On Invers reports, Roman made those first peanut butter batches in a local lawn bowls club on Friday nights and sold them at weekend farmers markets, and the couple ended up starting their business right at the perfect time — a mere week before their first child was born! Clearly, this driven couple can do anything they put their minds to. We're just glad it was nut butters!
Fix & Fogg is racking up accolades
While every business has been impacted by the global pandemic, Fix & Fogg has been one of the more fortunate ones. As founder Roman Jewell told Kea, the last couple of years have been a mix of successes and delays. The Houston shop window was only open for a week before it was closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
However, Fix & Fogg was able to make up for it with online sales in the U.S., which apparently skyrocketed. (Hands up if you started eating even more peanut butter while stuck at home). In August of 2020, Eat This Not That called Fix & Fogg's peanut butter the world's best, which boosted sales even more, according to Jewell.
Then, in March of 2021, New York Magazine deemed Fix & Fogg's Everything Butter "the best nut butter on the planet." With all of that hype, Fix & Fogg was perfectly poised to roll out their delicious product across America.
And with accolades like the gold and silver trophies Fix & Fogg won at the 2020 and 2021 sofi Awards respectively (it's like the Oscars, but for food!), the continued success of this small New Zealand brand seems inevitable. We definitely look forward to eating more weird peanut butter Fix & Fogg flavors in the years to come.