Justin's facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food production |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Justin Gold |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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| Products |
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Number of employees
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30+ (2015) |
| Parent | Hormel |
Justin's is a popular American company. It makes natural and organic nut butters and peanut butter cups. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado. They sell their products in jars and small squeeze packs. They also make different kinds of organic peanut butter cups.
Justin's peanut butter cups are special. They are certified organic by the USDA. They also use cocoa that is certified by the Rainforest Alliance. You can find Justin's products in many stores. These include Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Starbucks, and Target.
Contents
The Story of Justin's
How Justin's Began
Justin Gold started the company in 2004. He graduated from Dickinson College in 2000. Justin studied environmental topics there. In 2002, he moved to Colorado.
Justin was a vegetarian and loved being outdoors. He started making his own nut butters. This helped him get enough protein for his adventures. His roommates kept eating his creations. So, Justin decided to sell them.
He first sold his nut butters at the Boulder Farmers' Market. Soon, Whole Foods Market agreed to sell his products. Justin got money from friends and family to start. He named the company "Justin's" after the labels he used.
New Products and Growth
In 2006, Justin's launched portable squeeze packs. They were the first nut butter brand to offer these small packs. Since then, Justin's has added more products. They now have organic dark, milk, and white chocolate peanut butter cups.
They also offer other spreads. These include chocolate hazelnut butter and maple almond butter. In 2011, Progressive Grocer magazine praised their peanut butter cups. They called them one of the best new products of the year.
By 2012, Justin's was very successful. They sold 25 million squeeze packs. They also sold 1.6 million jars of nut butter. The company grew very fast. It was even listed on Inc. magazine's Inc. 5000 list. This list shows the fastest-growing companies in the country.
By 2014, Justin's had 30 employees. Their sales continued to grow quickly. They offered seven flavors of nut butters. They also had three kinds of peanut butter cups. In 2016, the company published a cookbook. It was called Justin My Kitchen. It had over 50 recipes using Justin's products.
In May 2016, a larger company bought Justin's. Hormel bought Justin's for $286 million.
Giving Back to the Community
Justin's believes in helping others. They are a founding member of the Whole Planet Foundation. This foundation helps people around the world. It gives small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Justin's provides one microloan each month.
Justin's also works with Conscious Alliance. This group helps people facing hunger. Justin's employees volunteer every year. They visit the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. There, they help with hunger relief efforts.
Awards and Recognition
Justin Gold, the founder, has received awards. In 2013, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year. This award was for consumer products by Ernst & Young. That same year, Justin's nut butter won a Clean Choice Award. This award came from Clean Eating Magazine.
In 2014, Prevention magazine listed Justin's. They named it one of the "100 Cleanest Packaged Foods." Justin's has also been on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 list. This list features America's fastest-growing companies. In 2015, Gourmet Retailer Magazine chose Justin's as an editor's pick. They also received a press pick from the Natural Products Expo.
