How We Make Our Peanut Butter — From Ingredient to Jar
How Zak's Yard Makes Peanut Butter — From Raw Peanut to Sealed Jar
Where It Starts — Peanut Sourcing
Pakistan grows peanuts primarily in Punjab and Sindh. We source from established, consistent suppliers who deliver peanuts that meet our quality requirements — uniform size, correct moisture content, and no signs of mould or damage. The quality of the raw peanut determines the quality of the final product. We do not buy the cheapest available peanuts. This sourcing relationship matters for a reason most consumers don't think about: aflatoxins. These are naturally occurring fungal toxins that can develop on peanuts stored in warm, humid conditions. Quality sourcing and proper storage are the primary defences. We take this seriously.
Step 1 — Sorting and Cleaning
Before any processing begins, peanuts are sorted to remove damaged, discoloured, or undersized specimens. This is a manual and visual quality control step. Only peanuts that pass sorting proceed to roasting.
Step 2 — Roasting
Roasting is where flavour is developed. Too little heat — the peanut butter tastes raw and bland. Too much heat — it becomes bitter and loses healthy oils. Our roasting process has been refined over 6 years of production to hit the precise temperature and duration that creates the distinctive Zak's Yard flavour: nutty, full-bodied, slightly sweet, never bitter. . We roast in-house, in our own equipment. We don't buy pre-roasted peanuts from a third party, which would give us no control over this critical step.
Step 3 — Cooling
Freshly roasted peanuts are cooled to the correct temperature before grinding. Grinding hot peanuts produces an overly oily paste that separates excessively. Cooling to the right temperature before processing is an important — and often overlooked — step in peanut butter production.
Step 4 — Grinding
This is where peanuts become peanut butter. Our dedicated grinding equipment processes cooled, roasted peanuts into a smooth paste. For our Natural Creamy variant, grinding continues until the texture is completely smooth. For Natural Crunchy, we reserve a portion of roughly-chopped peanut pieces and fold them in after the initial grinding — producing the satisfying crunch that many customers prefer. . No oil is added during this process. The natural oils released from the peanuts during grinding provide all the fat content. This is genuine natural peanut butter — not reconstituted peanut flour with added oil, which some manufacturers use.
Step 5 — Flavour Addition (Where Applicable)
For our standard Natural variants: Salt is added in minimal, precise amounts. For our Unsweetened variant: nothing is added at all — just pure peanut paste. For our Chocolate Peanut Butter: we add cocoa and a carefully calibrated amount of natural sweetener to create the chocolate flavour without drowning out the peanut. . For our Hi-Protein variant: our formulation process optimises protein content naturally — we do not add protein powder or isolates. The 12g protein per serving comes from the peanuts themselves, through careful selection and processing.
Step 6 — Filling and Sealing
Peanut butter is filled directly into clean, food-grade jars immediately after processing. Jars are sealed and labelled in our facility. We do not hold large quantities of finished product in warehouse storage — we produce regularly in batches and ship fresh.
Step 7 — Quality Check
Before any batch is released, a sample from each run is tested for flavour, texture, and consistency. Six years of production has given our team an immediate sense of when something is right — and when it needs adjustment. Batches that don't meet our standard are not released.
What We Don't Add
No hydrogenated oil. No preservatives. No stabilisers. No artificial flavours. No high-fructose corn syrup. No mono and diglycerides. No emulsifiers. Nothing that wasn't in the peanut to begin with — except salt and, in our flavoured variants, the flavour we explicitly add.
The Oil Separation Question
If you open a jar of Zak's Yard and see oil sitting at the top — that's supposed to be there. Natural peanut oil separates from the peanut paste because there are no stabilisers holding it in suspension. This is proof of what's not in the jar. Stir well before first use, and store upside down or in the fridge after opening to minimise future separation.
Taste the Difference — Shop Zak's Yard
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