Made in Indiana: Peanut butter snack mix by B. Happy

Small start: The pastel-labeled jars of chunky peanut butter mixture carried in Walmart and Meijer stores across the country began out of a commercial kitchen in Zionsville. In 2013, Jon and Kathy Weed started grinding up peanuts with their three kids—Jackson, Julie and Sawyer—with the goal of teaching them what it means to run a business. At that time, they were 6 to 12 years old—now they’re in high school, college and headed toward careers.

The Zionsville Farmers Market and the commercial kitchen of Inga’s Popcorn—a business owned by a family friend—served as the launching pad for the brand. The Weeds have since handed off the job of batching and mixing the product to a co-packer in northern Indiana, but research and development and logistics are still based in a Zionsville commercial kitchen, albeit a different one.

Jon, who works as a financial analyst, and Kathy, a stay-at-home mom, made the jump to using a co-packer in 2020. That same year, the family hired a business consultant and secured contracts with Meijer, Walmart and other big-box retailers. Jon says that’s when the brand went from a family business to “something more than that.”

B. Happy products are enjoyable straight out of a jar with add-ins like chocolate, different nut varieties, cereal pieces, coconut and nougat. That’s why consumers are encouraged to “eat it with a spoon,” the brand’s motto.

Output: About 30,000 jars a month. During the early days at the Zionsville Farmers Market, the family made 80 jars a week—about 320 a month.

Origin of ‘B. Happy’: Jon came up with the name from a cheesy “Weed Family Rules” sign hanging in the family’s basement. He saw it as a unique stylization of “be happy” that also provided the perk of avoiding trademark or copyright infringement. The flavor names are inspired by the same optimism; they include “Share Kindness,” “Don’t Worry” and “Dream Big.”

Distribution: Jon estimates that B. Happy is sold in around 1,500 stores, including 800 Walmarts, 220 Meijers and a range of boutiques across the country. It is also sold in the Indiana Grown section of Hoosier Krogers. A particular point of pride is a boutique in Sitka, Alaska, that carries B. Happy.

Community involvement: With success stemming from humble local farmers market beginnings, Jon says B. Happy gives “a ton” of product away for silent auctions and sponsors Boys and Girls Club of Zionsville events. The family gets recognized as “the peanut butter people.”

—Compiled by Taylor Wooten