A Saratoga native has battled startup challenges and even a hurricane to create the Best New Food Product, New England-made. Chris Kaiser, founder, president, and CEO of his Vermont Peanut Butter Company, received the award at the 2012 Made in New England trade show. Winners were picked among thousands of products.

The company was also recently featured in “Shape Magazine”’s “Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Peanut Butter.”

Boasting Vermont’s world-famous maple syrup and an industry-leading 10 grams of protein per serving, maple walnut is one of Vermont Peanut Butter’s top sellers.

Kaiser started the business in 2009 with the idea to build a Ben and Jerry’s-like company that caters to a healthier crowd, but with the same flare, fun, and deliciousness of the now-famous ice cream company. When Hurricane Irene struck in August 2011, Vermont Peanut Butter lost its entire facility and operation in Waterbury, Vt.--ironically the former home of Ben & Jerry’s. Afterward, Kaiser’s firm moved into a brand-new 5,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility. In 2011, sales were affected significantly, he said, but since then, Vermont Peanut Butter has grown another 200 percent and is now one of the fastest-growing food companies in New England.

“I take my health and the health of those who enjoy my products seriously,” Kaiser said. “We take extreme care to develop the most delicious, nutritious, and clean products in our market: no hydrogenations, no palm oils, no preservatives, no excess salt or sugars. We are poised to triple our business in 2013 and 2014 with the launch of several new packaging styles, and our new relationships with professional athletes from Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.”

Please see info@vtpeanutbutter.com.

--Jennie