Stores going nuts for Barney Butter

Entrepreneur Fresno monther has been contacting retailers herself.

By Tracy Correa / The Fresno Bee
(06/19/07 04:24:00)

It was just about a year ago that Jennifer Barney's almond spread — Barney Butter — hit shelves in Fresno's Whole Foods Market, Catalano's Market and Sam's Italian Deli & Market.

Now it's sold in Draeger's Markets in the Bay Area, Harvest Ranch stores in San Diego, and the Market of Choice chain in Oregon, to name a few. The product is available in 15 chain stores in 50 markets. Her secret: She contacted the stores herself.

"I'm adding stores every week," said Barney in a telephone interview just before rushing out to her daughter's school-award ceremony. The hectic day was a typical one for the mother of four who spends mornings on the telephone trying to push her product and afternoons shuttling her children around to various activities.

Her life has changed considerably over the past year as her almond butter — which she created in her kitchen and considers a healthier option to peanut butter — has seen a spike in sales. A 16-ounce jar of Barney Butter is sold in stores at prices ranging from $7.99 to $10.99. A similar-size jar of peanut butter sells for about $2.

The central San Joaquin Valley's rich agricultural industry has been a major benefit to businesses that turn locally grown foods into a secondary product.

Stephen Paul, owner of Fresno-based Bouquet of Fruits, which puts together gift baskets using fruits, relies on Valley-grown nuts and edibles for his products. In March, the business introduced OnTrack fruit energy bars, made with Valley products.

Ashley Swearengin, chief operating officer of the Regional Jobs Initiative, said the Valley is ripe with new business potential. She said Barney is indicative of what a driven person can accomplish.

"I think she is an inspiration to entrepreneurs in the Fresno area, and her story could probably be replicated 10 times over given the talent of our entrepreneurs and availability of unique products," Swearengin said.

Barney said sales have increased 150% from last year, possibly even more. And she said she expects her company to become profitable by 2010, or earlier if almond prices remain stable.

She said she may reach her sales goals even sooner with the recent addition of a crunchy-style almond butter spread and single-serving packets — almond butter in a squeezable tube. The packets sell for about 50 cents each and also come in 12-packs.

The squeezable packets got a publicity boost when Shape magazine featured the product in its June issue. It was praised in a testimonial by the magazine's photo editor as a favorite on-the-go protein boost. Shortly afterward, online orders (barneybutter.com) for the single-serving packets jumped. Barney originally created the packets as a marketing tool so people could sample the product. But people liked the convenience and she began selling them about three months ago.

"They're a hit," she said.

Barney originally starting making almond butter for her family because of the nutritional value of almonds. The business idea grew from there.

While she competes with other almond butters, Barney believes hers is better.

Almond butter promoters tout the product as a healthier nut spread than peanut butter. An ounce of almonds (about 23 nuts) contains 160 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat, according to a fact sheet posted on the Web site for the Almond Board of California. Almonds are a good source of vitamin E and magnesium, as well as being high in protein and potassium. They are cholesterol free.

According to the Web site of the Peanut Institute, an ounce of peanuts contains 166 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat and provides 16% of the minimum daily requirement of vitamin E. Peanuts are also a good source of magnesium, copper, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Like almonds, peanuts are cholesterol free.

Barney Butter is made from all-natural ingredients, including what Barney calls "high-quality" California almonds. She buys her almonds locally.

Fresno County is one of the state's largest producers of almonds, with 99,300 total acres in 2006 valued at more than $494 million -- up from $453 million the year before.

"I'm proud of the fact I buy from local growers," she said.

Most of her growers have small farms of less than 40 acres of almonds. Barney Butter is produced at Valley Quality Foods, a co-packing facility in Fresno.

Barney is certain her almond butter sales will continue to climb. She has already been contacted by Parents magazine, which wants to feature her product in its back-to-school issue in a few months. Barney said with peanut allergies on the rise, more families are interested in peanut-butter alternatives.

The reporter can be reached at tcorrea@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6378.