Saratoga Peanut Butter Company

Peanut Butter. Over the past few years, I have increasingly used peanut butter for the regular things: peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter with apples, or bananas, peanut butter in shakes, in ice cream, and pretty much everywhere else peanut butter can go. It has become one of my favorite foods. Over the years, I have also strayed from the typical brands that generally use hydrogenated oils to make their peanut butter fluffy and smooth. Currently though, there is one brand of peanut butter that stands out in my mind, and it is made locally in our very own Saratoga Springs. The name of the company that makes this wonderful product is Saratoga Peanut Butter Company.

Review: Saratoga Peanut Butter Company
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Business Type: Peanut Butter Creator

Before I go into the review of the peanut butter, I want to give some background information on this company. Saratoga Peanut Butter Company (SPBC) was started in historic Saratoga Springs in 2005. Since then, the company has grown to distribute its peanut butter to retailers all over the Capital Region and beyond. Now, it makes 9 different flavors of peanut butter (Yes! 9!), including: Plain Jane Chunky, Creamy, or Organic, Chillin Chocolate (dark chocolate), Blizzard Butter (white chocolate), New York Maple (infused with maple syrup), Monkey Boy (bananas), Adirondack Jack (almond, peanuts, cranberries, and a few other ingredients), and Almond Butter. All these spreads are made with the highest quality ingredients, which you can view on their website.

I first found SPBC at the Troy Farmer's Market where they consistently deliver peanut butter to the masses. Usually they have a very friendly person working the booth, handing out free samples of this delicious spread with pretzel sticks. What a perfect way to start your Saturday! I immediately fell in love with this peanut butter, specifically the Blizzard Butter which is infused with white chocolate. Through my discussion with one of the business owners at the Market, I was told that this particular butter was most favored by males, and the Chillin Chocolate most preferred by females (just a fun random piece of info).

Anyway, this peanut butter is of the highest quality. Because it is made so fresh, there are extremely small pieces of peanuts in the butter, which makes it less than smooth. Under normal circumstances this may seem like a not-so-good thing, but don't judge before you try it! It makes the peanut butter have character. Most peanut butters strive to be smooth, this one stands above the rest and dares to be different. I like that. I usually eat this spread on bread, or in any of the ways stated in the first sentence, but with a spoon is definitely the best. The white chocolate flavor makes it so unique, and terminates any competition.

The only complaint I have about this peanut butter is the price. For seven dollars at the market, it's a bit pricey, but the quality, the texture, the flavor, makes it well worth it. Of course, that is relative to the mass-produced brands such as Jiffy and Peter Pan which go for 2-4 dollars depending; when compared to other organic peanut butters, it competes with their prices.

I am not a regular consumer of the other flavors, although I have tried each and every one of them at some point in time. The unique flavors of each make trying them all a must. You will not regret making the trip to the Farmer's Market (or any of the regular retailers, Price Chopper for example), to get to try this wonderful spread. Of course, you do not get the awesome experience of "shaking the hand that feeds you" when you visit the supermarket, so I do prefer the Farmer's Market.

Visit one of their retailers and try this. It is a must for your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Please comment if you agree or disagree, because I would love to hear everybody's opinion on all of our reviews. Thanks for reading!

-Joe Balestriere