Discovery: B. Happy Peanut Butter

Every jar of B. Happy Peanut Butter is stamped with the invitation to “Eat it with a spoon!” One look at the ingredients in this line of locally made PBs, and it’s easy to see why you could ditch not only the J but the bread as well. All six of B. Happy’s gourmet flavors begin with a base of smooth, crunchy honey-roasted peanut butter, with add-ins not found in your average jar of Jif—including pretzel pieces, toffee bits, Rice Krispies, and snickerdoodle popcorn. Zionsville residents Jon and Kathy Weed—B. Happy’s self-described owners, creators, and addicts—dreamed up the company in January 2013 after Jon’s favorite farmers-market stand closed. Jon, a financial adviser at Morgan Stanley with zero culinary experience, decided to try making his own peanut butter.

After a few kitchen mishaps, the business officially launched last May. Now the stuff has a cult-like following at specialty stores like Goose the Market, where the rotating sandwich menu sometimes features a rustic country creation called The Higuera that layers its Pig & Fig terrine with local greens, pickled blueberries, and a swipe of the Keep Smunchy flavor inside a baguette.

The Weeds don’t have grand plans for the peanut butters outside of stocking a few more stores and creating some new flavors (their 8-year-old son requested something s’mores-themed). B. Happy is mostly a fun way for the couple to connect with their three kids, the Weeds say, teaching them basic business skills and, as the company’s name implies, making others smile. Their loyal—and rabid—fans are their biggest inspiration. “If we stop making it,” Kathy says, “people will hunt us down.”

Available at Goose the Market, Nicole-Taylor’s Pasta and Market, Lilly Orchard at Park Tudor, Inga’s Popcorn, and the Zionsville Farmers Market.

This article appeared in the January 2014 issue.