Evidence leads people to believe that Incans that were located in South America were the first people to grind peanuts to make what we know today as peanut butter. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, commonly known for his popular cereal brand, created his idea of peanut butter in 1895.

Shortly after, a doctor located in St. Louis created his version of peanut butter, which was meant to be a protein substitute for elderly patients who had poor teeth and couldn’t consume meat as their normal source of protein. It wasn’t until 1904 when peanut butter was officially introduced at the St. Louis World Fair. In 1908, Krema Products Company, in Columbus, Ohio, began selling peanut butter. They are the oldest peanut butter company still in operation today.

Later on in 1922, Joseph L. Rosefield sold peanut butter in California, churning it to make it smoother. He received the first patent for peanut butter that could stay fresh up to a year. Peanuts and peanut butter also became very important in World War I and II. Peanuts and peanut butter were apart of the rations that the Armed Forces received due to its long lasting ability. In 1928, One of the first companies to adopt Rosefield’s process was Swift & Company. The company was later renamed Peter Pan. 

1932 came around and Rosefield began producing peanut butter under the Skippy label. Skippy created the first crunchy-style peanut butter two years later.  Procter & Gamble entered the peanut butter business and introduced Jif in 1958.Now owned by the J.M. Smucker Company, Jif operates the world’s largest peanut butter plant, producing 250,000 jars every day!