Issue No. 43: Nut butter in North Carolina

Nut butters are more popular than ever, but there’s one company that has been producing our favorite spreadable proteins for more than 11 years: Big Spoon Roasters in Durham, North Carolina. We pull back the curtain on how they manage to pull off their extremely delicious, and sometimes unexpected, nut butter flavors in a sustainable, Earth-friendly way. Plus, they offer us three exclusive recipes using their butters, ranging from sweet to savory.

We’re also looking at the current nut butter craze, answering the question once and for all: Why are they so popular?

There can be a lot of nut butter options, so we break down the nutritional facts of each major type — from peanut to cashew — with plant-based dietician Amy Gorin, owner of Plant-Based Eats, who also offers her take on these spreadable proteins, and we even suggest our favorite brands to try.