SUSTAINABILITY

• • Spatula to the last drop: In our production space, nothing goes to waste. We carefully scrape every ounce of product into our jars and packages, ensuring that food ends up nourishing people, not landfills.
  • Composting organic waste: All food scraps and compostables such as paper towels and napkins are composted, returning nutrients back to the soil. 
  • Plastic-free shipping: We've eliminated plastic from our shipping materials, using only recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable options.
  • Upcycling inbound materials: We also repurpose materials like label backing, box inserts, and other inbound packing materials to pad precious cargo (nut butter) going out the door.

This obsessive attention to detail adds up to a big impact—less waste, more efficiency, and greater respect for the resources that sustain us.

Minimizing Emissions and Water Use

Clean energy. Smarter processes.

We power our facility with solar energy, use a water-free production process, use energy-efficient LED lighting, and rely on non-water-based, no-rinse cleaning methods for impeccable food safety. In addition, we use energy-efficient production equipment in a manual, small-batch process that does not require constant energy output from the few machines we use. Our nuts are roasted slowly at relatively low temperatures in Certified Energy Efficient electric ovens to coax out the best flavor, and also to minimize emissions. We also choose cruelty-free cleaning products that have not been tested on animals, and we continually adopt proven industry practices, such as using a hybrid-electric vehicle and geo-bundling local deliveries, to minimize emissions and conserve resources. 

Water & Nut Agriculture

A few years ago, newsfeeds rightly lit up with reports of how water-intensive the almond industry can be. Water conservation is one of many reasons we have only ever used the single heirloom Mission variety of almonds, which requires less water for cultivation, is higher in protein, and honestly just more delicious than other almond varieties (which can taste watered down). On top of that, our almond growing partner is Certified Pollinator Friendly and does not participate in the destructive process of trucking bees back and forth across the country to pollinate their orchards.

Let’s talk about sources of protein and water use, starting with animal proteins. More feed = more water, so the larger the animal, the more water it needs. Also, the type of feed matters. Conventional, mass-market meat comes from a supply chain of conventional agriculture, which relies heavily on water irrigation and chemical inputs to make worn-out soil produce crops.  

Source: European Geosciences Union, fact checked from noteworthy publications.

Animal Protein (Meat):

• • 1 lb of Beef requires 1,850 gallons of water to produce it. More than 5x that of almonds! 
  • 1 lb of Pork meat requires 756 gallons of water 
  • 1 lb of Chicken meat requires 660 gallons 
  • 1 lb of Cow Milk requires 377 gallons of water  

Plant-Based Protein:  

• • 1 lb Almond (shelled) requires 360 gallons of water (less than ½ of what is required for 1 lb of chicken)
  • 1 lb Cashews requires 180 gallons 
  • 1 lb Hazelnuts requires 382 gallons 
  • 1 lb of Almond Milk requires 8 gallons of water 
  • 1 lb of Peanuts requires 51 gallons of water 
  • 1 lb Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) requires 12 gallons of water 

 

Together for a better Future

Join us in creating a more sustainable tomorrow.

Every Big Spoon jar or bar you enjoy is a reflection of our responsibility to people and the planet. By choosing Big Spoon, you’re joining us in building a more sustainable, just, and compassionate world.