BETTER THAN NUTELLA?

YES, BETTER. Put your guns down! This is my opinion. I, too, was in passionate love with Nutella for years until I read the ingredients. You are probably saying, “well, that was dumb.” and perhaps it was, but luckily for me, I discovered not only a healthier alternative, but a tastier one too! Justin’s is a crunchy company out of Boulder, Colorado, that has been in the nut butter business for several years.

16 0Z JAR

I first tasted Justin’s maple almond butter on a Virgin America flight a few years back. It was part of my $5 healthy snack pack. I was starving so I ripped open the little ketchup-packet-looking-thing of maple almond butter and sucked it dry. It was delicious… almondy, maple-e with a little touch of sea salt. I carried the little empty packet in my purse for a while with the intention of finding more and forgot about it until I ran into the Justin’s folks at the SF Fancy Food trade show at the beginning of 2010. I was so excited to see them there and didn’t realize what this reacquaintance would really mean until I sampled their NEW product, chocolate hazelnut butter! Nutella who?

The package of Justin’s hazelnut butter says ” Do you eat cake frosting for breakfast? I didn’t think so.” They are speaking to the fact that MOST chocolate hazelnut butters contain more sugar than anything else and artificial ingredients. Here are Justin’s ingredients:

DRY ROASTED HAZELNUTS, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC COCOA, ORGANIC COCOA BUTTER, ORGANIC PALM FRUIT OIL, NATURAL VANILLA, SEA SALT.

Whole Paycheck makes a “healthy” version of chocolate hazelnut butter too and honestly, it aint good! Sorry Whole Foods. I heart other things you make, just not this one.

I love that Justin’s sells all of their nut butters in little single serve packets as well. They are the perfect snack to have at your desk or in your purse when you are feeling a little low. I am not recommending that anyone eat hazelnut butter all day and everyday. Just like Nutella, it is a treat, but a much more natural treat.

The other aspect I love about Justin’s is that there is actually a guy named Justin who started the company and who really cares about whole ingredients, sustainability and doing business in a better way for all. Please check out their web site to find out more and to scope out where you can buy their products!