Blog

Where would we be without salt? – James Beard

Back in 2010, our founder Mark Overbay was in his kitchen creating the very first batches of handmade nut butter to sell at the Carrboro, NC, farmers market. Across the country in Portland, OR, Ben Jacobsen – inspired by the Maldon salts he tasted while pursuing his business degree in Copenhagen – began making sea salt from water pulled out of the Netarts Bay. The two crossed paths in those early days and became friends and allies who share a dedication to craft, quality, and sustainability. They kept in touch over the years, waiting for the opportune time to work together.

In late 2016, that time finally arrived. After reconnecting at the Good Food Mercantile, they began planning a collaboration. Several months and test batches later, a Jacobsen Salt Co. + Big Spoon Roasters limited edition two-pack of nut butters made its debut. Each butter highlighted nuts from each respective producer’s home state: NC peanuts and OR hazelnuts, Bee Local honey (a honey business Jacobsen acquired in 2015), and of course, beautiful flakes of Jacobsen Sea Salt. The result was delicious and developed a cult following. When the limited edition ended, we bided our time until we could revisit this special salt.

It is always our goal to continually search for a better, more transparent, more sustainable, and more delicious source for every ingredient. The salt we used for years from the Trapani Coast in Italy met all of our standards, and we were proud to have it as an ingredient. However, the pristine waters of the four-mile-long Netarts Bay (a protected estuary where Jacobsen source their salt), combined with Jacobsen’s careful two-week production process, result in a salt with incredible flavor and texture. We knew we wanted it to be a part of all our recipes, but of course, such artisanal quality comes with a price and to buy the amount we needed for our relatively small production wasn’t financially viable without raising prices. After wrapping up our most successful year to date, we are so thrilled to report that production has scaled up and we’ve finally made the switch! All of our nut butters now feature Jacobsen Sea Salt and we couldn’t be happier!

Photo credit: Inc. Magazine / Carlos Chavarría

Marketing Intern

Reports to: Mackenzie Props, Marketing & Communications Manager
Classification: Part-time, Internship, Unpaid + College Credit
Start Date: ASAP

About Big Spoon Roasters

Big Spoon Roasters makes handcrafted nut butters and snack bars from scratch in Durham, NC. Our world-class ingredients are sourced directly from local and like-minded producers who share our dedication to authentic quality and sustainability. Our promise: To make the most delicious foods possible without compromise, setting the highest standards for integrity, flavor, and freshness in the process.

About the Internship

We are a dynamic, growing natural/specialty food business looking for an enthusiastic intern to help our marketing team build our brand and introduce more people to our groundbreaking work in the nut butter and snack bar categories. While we have several specific needs, our internship program can be customized to the right candidate’s strengths and interests. Example focus areas include:

• Social media content creation, especially Instagram stories and Pinterest.
• Monitoring social channels and assisting with responses.
• Content creation for blog.
• Monthly newsletter content and layout.
• Keeping our online  “Find Us” up to date.
• Tracking demo and event activity and creating data reports.
• Keeping newsletter subscriber list up to date.
• Assisting with in-house photo shoots.
• Reaching out to other brands about possible partnerships.
• Research and analytics – SEO, Facebook Pixel, email marketing, social media trends.
• Field marketing – representing Big Spoon Roasters at special events and demos.

Desired Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excitement and willingness to learn.
• Self-driven willingness to take a task and run with it.
• Experience using Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

Interested? Please send a resume and cover letter to mackenzie@bigspoonroasters.com that outlines why you’re a good fit and what excites you most about this position.

The most important thing in the world is family and love. – John Wooden

We were immediately struck by Vintner’s Kitchen’s compelling story of a family once spread across the country that reunited in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, where they turned their love of food and a shared table into a business.

We were also undeniably intrigued by their creative recipes, most of which feature a local or regional wine paired with local produce. We fell immediately in love with their Rogue Pear, Cranberry & Pinot Noir Jam and thought it was perfect for our February 2019 Featured Jam. Sweet Naumes pears combine with tangy and tart cranberries to create a brightly balanced fruit flavor, and the jam is carefully cooked to maintain bites of the satisfying pear texture. Hints of Pinot Noir round out the flavor profile, and lemon juice provides acidity, heightening the taste of each fruit. Finally, cinnamon and almond extract add subtle spice and nuttiness that make it a dream paired with our nut butters. We especially love this jam as part of a dessert fruit and nut tray featuring roasted nuts, dried fruit, and fair-trade chocolate.

Rogue Pear, Cranberry & Pinot Noir Jam is available while supplies last via our web shop à  la carte and in recommended PB&J and AB&J pairings. It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day treat, and we are thrilled to offer it as our February 2019 Featured Jam.