Peanut butter is probably not the first thing you think of when it comes to the South Fork food scene, but Walter Kim is trying to change that with his year-old company, Sagg Peanut Butter.
Mr. Kim, 55, said he grew frustrated with the additives of other peanut butter brands, so he decided to make his own at home. He then shared it with friends and family, who kept asking him to make more.
Eventually, Mr. Kim decided to turn it into a business. Sagg Peanut Butter is now sold in about 10 local stores and markets, including Amber Waves Farm and Balsam Farms in Amagansett, Loaves and Fishes in Sagaponack, Serene Green in Noyac, and Grindstone Coffee and Donuts in Sag Harbor. His dream is to see his peanut butter in grocery stores across the country.
“At first, I wasn’t sure how people would react to it,” Mr. Kim said. “Pretty quickly, people loved it. It’s kind of got a little following going. We actually have a store in Nantucket and two stores in New York City that we sell to as well.”
Although Mr. Kim grew up in the Bay Area in California, he has been a part-time resident of Sag Harbor for more than 20 years, splitting his time between Long Island and New York City. He worked in television for two decades, managing David Letterman’s digital department. Now he pursues his peanut butter brand as a side venture along with his wife, Nancy Agostini. “We produce it; we sell it. It’s a two-person operation.”
But their daughters are also in on it. Jane Kim designed the logo, while Abby Kim helps with production and labeling the bottles. Mr. Kim said the packaging is part of what sets Sagg Peanut Butter apart from other brands. Instead of having to stir peanut butter in a jar, his peanut butter comes in a squeeze bottle. It’s ready to use with no mess.
Sagg Peanut Butter stands out for its smooth texture. It has a natural sweetness to it, but without added sugar. It has a medium roasted flavor, a pleasant buttery aroma, and a light brown caramel color that looks as good as it tastes.
Although it’s not organic, it is made from only two ingredients: peanuts and salt. Mr. Kim sources his peanuts from Georgia and his salt from Amagansett, while production takes place in Queens.
After experimenting with the flavor balance, Mr. Kim nailed it down and now has two versions available: smooth and crunchy. He has also experimented with creating other nut butters, but so far, he’s sticking with just peanut butter.
“This was always something I wanted to do in the back of my head. I always wanted to have my own business,” he said.
According to the research group AWS Marketplace, the worldwide peanut butter market was worth more than $5 billion in 2021 and will reach an estimated $7 billion by 2030.
Even though there is plenty of competition, Mr. Kim says there’s room for his product. Jonathan Bernard, who owns the gourmet food market Farm and Forage, with locations in East Hampton and Southampton, agrees. He says it’s winning over customers.
“People who buy it generally purchase it again. The customers really love it,” Mr. Bernard said. “Sagg Peanut Butter is the only one we sell. We really love the packaging, and it sits beautifully on the shelf. Once we have one great one, especially local, we don’t need any others.”
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Noa Magasiner was a participant in The East Hampton Star Summer Academy.
