Q. What makes Pip & Nut different from other nut butter brands?
Jacq: Pip Murray, the name and brains behind the brand, is a massive foodie – always has been and always will be. That’s where the idea came from: she became frustrated with the use of palm oil, refined sugars and the predictable tastes and branding in the nut butter aisle. Pip & Nut is based on the premise that palm oil is neither necessary nor desirable in any nut butter (nor any food for that matter) and the drizzly, delicious texture of a nut butter with absolutely no palm oil should be celebrated with a simple “stir to care” call to action with consumers.
In essence, Pip & Nut was a disruption of the stigma that healthy must equal boring and bland! The infamous peanut butter range was developed in Pip’s own kitchen, blending nuts and refining the recipe before testing it in Maltby Market. It was a business that grew from an obsession with nut butter and a passion for innovation – stripping down the nut butter recipe to its most natural and healthy ingredients for the core everyday range, minus all the unhealthy and unnecessary additives and creating twists on those classics with flavours like Cherry Bakewell Almond Butter and Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter. Pip was also keen to create a fun and exciting lifestyle brand that our nut butter lovers could relate to.
Q: Tell us about your choice to move from plastic to glass jars?
Jacq: Plastic wasn’t a big talking point on the agenda back when Pip founded the brand and plastic was a recommendation from our production partner at the time. The rising concerns around single use plastic drove a change to ensuring our plastic was 30% rPET a few years ago however our consumers wanted more – so we listened! We know that more consumers recycle glass than plastic – 68% as opposed to 46% for plastic – so we have been working on a project for over two years to transition to glass that is due to launch in July 2021.
Q: You guys have recently been B Corp certified (November 2019) – was that much of the journey or was it something that happened given your inherent sustainability?
Jacq: Our certification as a B-Corp business was our proudest moment. Since launching the brand Pip has become more conscious and ambitious to be more sustainable and ethical. It was important to her and the whole company, to not only become B Corp certified but also to understand what we could do to continuously improve. I personally find it encouraging that this certification constantly holds you accountable, which is great to have as a driving force. We want to drive the association of doing business better – not only by encouraging consumers to make better choices but also inspiring brands to embark on their own B Corp journey. Our vision is that if we can encourage brands and people within our category to do better, through for example phasing out the use of palm oil entirely, we can be the catalyst for a real positive and industry-wide shift.
Q: Would you consider going down a more linear approach to sustainability?
Jacq: Pip & Nut is a natural nut butter that delivers delicious nut butter and nut butter cups and has, from the beginning, been driving a clear passion point that feels very authentic – palm-oil free – and we will continue driving this and delivering on more sustainability initiatives across every facet of our business including a net zero audit in the next quarter.
Q: So, what has the future got in store for Pip & Nut?
Jacq: Our future will involve continuing to obsess about our nut butter; fine tuning our existing products and creating new and exciting ones too. Giving consumers the best tasting natural nut butter is the right foundation to build an iconic brand that consumers genuinely care about. We will do that with a sustainability lens to ensure we are doing business better too. That’s our promise ‘Nut Butter Done Better’ whether it’s for people or the planet
Pip & Nut is a sustainable start-up member you can find more information here
