| 3 “We thought if we’re going to do single ingredient butters, we have to do them very well.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Forty Thieves T T Richard Loader Peanut butter just part of the yum Forty Thieves founders Shyr and Brent Godfrey. on the hibiscus COAST CRAFTED delicious on toast WWW.FORTYTHIEVES.CO.NZ Shop now at your local supermarket. PROUDLY SUPPORTING FORTY THIEVES pwrfitstudios@gmail.com 027 679 7348 | 027 363 3392 Focused on that beautiful line where health meets deliciousness, nut-butter maker Forty Thieves was founded seven years ago by husband-and-wife team Brent and Shyr Godfrey, who shared a natural passion for adventure. After backpacking around the globe, the couple returned to New Zealand with a burning desire to try something a little different from their past careers. “We know how important food is to fuel adventures and nut-butters are accessible, portable and affordable and full of all the good stuff that can really get you going,” says Shyr. “You can imagine Brent and I skiing down the mountain slope with a peanut butter sandwich in our pockets. We thought, yes we can do this and do this well by trying exciting flavours and creating a product that would continue to fuel our lifestyle. The truth is, we went in with an idea and the market told us something different.” Listening to the customer is another thing Shyr is pretty passionate about, and while early farmers’ market customers liked the unique nut-butter flavours being offered, they wanted pure peanut and pure almond butters. “We thought if we’re going to do single ingredient butters, we have to do them very well. We focused on the roasting, using the best quality peanuts and almonds we could get our hands on, and went to 500gram jars. People loved the idea they were getting something really healthy and in a big jar, and it was a little more affordable.” From brand awareness at Farmers Markets, and sales to independent stores, conversations were quickly had with supermarket chains and now jars of Forty Thieves goodness and deliciousness are stocked in over 400 stores nationwide including New World, Pak’nSave and Countdown supermarkets, with exports to Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia, the US and Fiji. “We’ve now come full circle, complementing our pure nut range with a range of combination butters, but a lot more research driven using focus groups. “We have a range of flavoured butters including a caramel nut-butter which has a natural caramel in it, a raspberry one which has freeze-dried raspberries, and chocolate which uses a locally made Solomons Gold chocolate. “So different nuts and seeds — but also natural flavours to make them more interesting. Everything is under 10% sugar, even our sweetest butters. We always pick ingredients that are naturally quite sweet. When you use quality ingredients you don’t really need to overload with sugar or oils.” Only selecting high oleic peanuts from Argentina ensures Forty Thieves’ peanut butter is high in protein — very important when on an adventure — are naturally sweeter, and have higher levels of mono-unsaturated fats. Almonds are purchased from the bee-friendly Van Family Orchards in California. “Not all farmers look after their bees once the almond flowers are gone following pollination. Sustainability is also important to us. “We only use glass jars, metal lids and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper labels and cartons produced in New Zealand.” For Brent and Shyr, success has been about knowing what drives them, and why they make their products. “We listen to our customers, and what they’re looking for. We believe in producing with purpose. For us this means collaborating with like-minded businesses, considering our impact on the environment and donating nut butters to those in community that need a helping hand.”
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