Our nut butter brand is on people’s dating profiles — we’re now courting £35m sales

When a food brand shows up as a “like” on dating profiles, you know it’s struck a chord. That’s the quirky reality for Pip & Nut, which has grown from a London market stall into the UK’s No.1 nut butter brand. A decade after launch, the company now reaches 1.6 million households and is on track to deliver over £35m in retail sales in 2025.

The journey began in 2013 with marathon training and a simple question: where was the natural, great-tasting nut butter without palm oil or additives? Spotting a booming almond butter scene in the US, founder Pippa Murray felt the UK was ready for better options. She started developing recipes at home built around 99% nuts and a pinch of sea salt—clean, protein-rich and straightforward.

There was rigorous groundwork behind the jars. Market reports, hours at the library, and benchmarking against the US helped size the opportunity and define the target consumer. Early on, Murray won a corporate competition that offered an unusual prize: a rent-free shed to live in for three months at a South London HQ. It cut overheads to virtually zero and created a launch runway. Production soon followed, funded by a rapid £120,000 crowdfunding raise in nine days, topped up with a small family loan.

Diagnosed with dyslexia at seven, Murray credits “dyslexic thinking” with helping her connect dots across trends and solve complex problems in unconventional ways. While the route to a solution might not always be linear, that different perspective proved powerful for spotting shifts in the food landscape—especially the growing appetite for protein and minimally processed ingredients. It also forged a deep work ethic: years of having to prove herself became a driver as the brand took shape.

Pip & Nut officially launched in 2015 and found traction fast: roughly £600,000 in first-year revenue and around £3m in year two with a small team of 10. A decade later, the business remains on a steep growth curve, with sales expanding at over 50% and distribution spanning major retailers and independents. From the start, the brand has been about more than jars on shelves; it’s about making natural choices feel exciting and accessible.

Creativity has been a constant. In the early days there was a peanut butter cookbook, collaborations at 10k runs with toast bars where runners picked their topping, and playful advertising designed to stop people mid-scroll. One campaign featured giant squirrels leaping toward jars—odd, eye-catching, and memorable. The thinking is simple: most people aren’t actively pondering peanut butter, so you have to win attention and make them smile while you do it.

The product range began with natural peanut and almond butter, later expanding to include coconut variants and, more recently, the brand’s first cereal bars. The goal is to keep championing real ingredients and better choices, nudging the category toward less-processed foods without sacrificing flavour. That “taste-first” conviction underpins the brand: design and tone can draw people in, but sustained growth only happens if the product quality is exceptional.

Behind the scenes, optimism and resilience have been essential. Early-stage brand building is gritty—packing samples, manning stalls, pitching retailers, and doing whatever it takes. A positive outlook helped the team push forward, take calculated risks, and avoid being paralysed by what might go wrong.

Behind the brand: insights

• Starting up today: The visibility of founders on social media has lowered the barrier to inspiration. Seeing entrepreneurs share the realities of building brands is motivating a new wave of would-be founders to consider launching businesses of their own.
• Building a community: Success starts with your first 1,000 true fans—the people who buy, talk, and advocate. Word of mouth still matters. Today, Pip & Nut’s social community of around 270,000 followers helps amplify recipes, product news, and brand moments.
• How people eat nut butter: Habits are diversifying. While roughly 83% of consumers still enjoy peanut butter on toast, about 40% also have it in porridge or straight off a spoon, and around 30% use it on pancakes. Versatility has become a major growth driver.
• Standing out on shelf: A family-friendly, distinctive look helps, but product quality is non-negotiable. You can’t become number one if the product doesn’t taste brilliant; brand and flavour have to work hand in hand.

From a shed to supermarket shelves, the story is a reminder that insight, hustle, and a little eccentricity can take a simple idea a long way. If you can inspire people to reach for natural ingredients—on toast, in porridge, or by the spoonful—you’re not just selling a spread; you’re changing habits. And with momentum still building, Pip & Nut looks set to keep courting even bigger numbers in the years ahead.