03 August,2014 07:51 AM IST | | Shreyanka Mazumdar
The next time you crave for some peanut butter, try Cuffe Parade resident Priya Pereira's version that is made with organic peanuts, rock salt and jaggery and is devoid of any oil and preservatives
Let's be honest, at some point in our lives, all of us have looked at a jar of peanut butter and wished we could indulge in it to our hearts' content without piling on the kilos. Well, now we no longer have to resort to wishful thinking. Cuffe Parade resident Priya Pereira has managed to turn peanut butter into a healthy snack by making it with organic peanuts, devoid of any oil and preservatives.
Priya Periera, founder of Pri's Organic Peanut Butter with her creations. Pic/Nimesh Dave
It started with a craving
The thought of making organic peanut butter struck 33-year-old Pereira one afternoon when she craved for some peanuts. "I was driving past a mall, which was a good 45 minutes away from my home. To satiate my hunger, I stopped at the supermarket and picked up half a kilo of organic peanuts, since a smaller pack wasn't available," the performing arts professional says. After polishing off most of the packet, she decided to make peanut butter out of the remaining ones by using rock salt, jaggery and honey. After serving it to friends and family, who lapped it up, Periera sold the product labelled as Pri's Organic Peanut Butter at a charity garage sale in June 2013, which helped her spread the word. "Now I make around 10 kgs of peanut butter every week," she says.
Au naturel
Traditionally, peanut butter has a lot of fat and added preservatives. But Periera's organic version has no extra oil or chemical addition. Her products also come in a variety of versions. Customers can choose from smooth or crunchy and sweetened (which comes with natural sweetening agent Agave nectar or Stevia) or unsweetened versions. "Today, people have become health conscious and want to dig into natural, healthy, yet yummy food, that doesn't take a toll on their health," explains Pereira.
A 500 gram jar of Pri's Organic Peanut Butter, which takes roughly 30 minutes to make excluding roasting and de-skinning, can be stored for two months in the refrigerator. While sizes of jars are customisable to one's needs, the 250 and 500 gram jars, priced at R375 and R650 respectively, are popular with customers. Talking about her future plans, Pereira says, I want to make almond butter and walnut butter in the future. I'll consider stocking my product at various food stores once I'm sure that I will be able to provide the same quality as I do now."
