Everyday rain, shine, wind or hail I follow the same routine of walking 10km round our local lake. Normally this activity takes around an hour and I tend to see the same familiar faces. Interestingly, the age range varies dramatically from teenagers to octogenarians all going at their own pace. Recently I have befriended a new arrival to the area, whose main residence is a farm in rural South Australia. Essentially he is from a culture where eating no processed and preservative food is a way of life. That is why he was fascinated to find out that I write about many artisan food brands. Certainly, this amazing country has an abundance of craft producers including Queensland based business Proteco Oils.
As a child, I always devoured several jars of peanut butter a week and my eight-year son has followed in my footsteps. However, the products he loves don’t even resemble the mass-produced fare I consumed in the UK. Recently we discovered a new brand in our local high-class independent supermarket called ‘Purely Nutz’ which is seriously delicious. What makes this peanut butter so special is the inclusion of natural flavours like honey, cinnamon, cacao and for the more adventurous Hot Chilli & Smokey Paprika. This gourmet experience enticed me to contact owner Josh Gadischke to find out more information about the company (Proteco Oils).
Even though the ‘Purely Nutz’ range is a profitable line for Proteco Oils it only equates to a small part of their business. Essentially the main part of the operation focuses on artisan cold pressed oils like almond, apricot kernel, hemp, olive, peanut, macadamia, walnut, avocado, flaxseed etc (under the label of ‘Pressed Purity’). However, due to the fact, they are located in the largest agricultural peanut farming territory (Kingaroy, South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia) it seemed natural to tap into this lucrative market. In fact, Josh informed me as well as their own label products they previously supplied nuts to Kellogg’s (Crunchy Nut® cornflakes) and produces gourmet jars of butter for many other companies.
Without any doubt, I would rate the ‘Purely Nutz’ range as some of the finest peanut butter on the market and my son would wholeheartedly agree. Ultimately this is because all the ingredients are fresh and meticulously sourced locally from sustainable suppliers. Proteco Oils is not a large faceless conglomerate but a growing family concern. Josh Gadischke is proud of what they have achieved over the last 30 years and he definitely should be. Impressively most of the major nationwide supermarket chains stock their exclusive natural products. As well as a strong domestic presence the business is also expanding into the international market.
For more information about the mouth-watering ‘Purely Nutz’ range and ‘Pressed Purity’ gourmet cold pressed oils follow this link
