Sports are a team effort. That’s why two soccer moms got together to create bNutty, a gourmet peanut butter company. With support from local businesses, this Northwest Indiana minority and woman-owned company grew out of a small kitchen to be available on a few thousand shelves across the country, as well as QVC and Amazon.
The bNutty partners, Joy Thompkins and Carol Podolak, met when their children played soccer. Joy, a nurse midwife, founded the company and pitched the idea of selling something healthier than the traditional candy bars to Carol, the chair of the fundraising committee. Carol, a stay-at-home mom who used to work in financial services, agreed and Joy began whipping up batches of peanut butter, from plain to Irresistible Pretzel, Joyful Cranberries and Blissful Blueberry in her kitchen.
Now the business operates out of 16,000-square-foot facility with a team of almost 20 employees. The gourmet peanut butter comes in 15 sweet or savory flavors made in small batches. They are gluten free, kosher and have zero trans fat. The team is preparing to launch seasonal flavors for the winter holidays.
