Jeremy Thaler and Constance Potter met while establishing Mifflin Street Co-op in Madison, Wisconsin. They shared a common belief in the importance of herbal supplements, worker-owned cooperatives, organic and sustainable farming and the power of community. Upon leaving Madison and moving to Rochester, New York, they established a worker cooperative distribution called Clear Eye Distribution, and a whole-grain bakery that also produced granola using a barrel roaster.

A chance question from a friend, “You have a barrel roaster; why don’t you use it to make peanut butter?” led Jeremy to the peanut butter business. In 1976, Once Again Nut Butter was born. When Jeremy and Connie left Rochester for a more rural area, they moved the company into their 800-square foot basement and manufactured peanut butter there until they purchased the current facility in 1981.

Four baby raccoons, referred to as kits, grew up on the factory grounds. They were apparently orphans and really enjoyed our nut butters. The Once Again Family adopted them, and one of them was lovingly named Rocky. Our kits were very friendly and adored our office. So…in turn, we adopted them and created our company logo in their honor.

The Once Again Family helped the raccoons in their early months then released them into the forest. To this day, our byproducts are donated to area farms or to nature lovers who often use our products as animal and bird foods. Our raccoon has become a symbol of our wholesome nature, our closeness and responsibility to the earth and the nature of our product.