Sonja Haller

The Republic | azcentral.com

About Arizona Made

In this multimedia series, Arizona Republic reporter Sonja Haller and photographers John Samora, Mark Henle, Cheryl Evans and David Wallace set out to feature the products made, manufactured or grown in Arizona. We looked at different categories including farming, food, drink, defense and aerospace, technology, consumer goods and manufacturing and entrepreneurs and small business.

View and read more in the series business.azcentral.com. Send us your ideas: Email sonja.haller@arizonarepublic.com.

Peanut Butter Americano

He grew up on Skippy and Jif peanut butters. Peanut butter was never a passion for Jeff Malkoon. That is, until a trip abroad, a desire to help others, and an entrepreneurial spirit came together more than three years ago.

Malkoon, owner of Peanut Butter Americano, 4700 N. Central Ave., #107 in Phoenix, began mixing nut butters in his mother's kitchen after the trip to Uruguay, a country where the peanut was first cultivated 3,000 years ago. And yet, Uruguayans didn't eat much peanut butter. Maybe the taste needed to be improved. That led Malkoon to develop his own recipes and the brand has been growing ever since. Proceeds from the dark chocolate peanut butter go toward the Fund for the Americas initiative aimed at improving economic development in the Western Hemisphere.

Information from the company:

What your company produces or manufactures: All-natural and chocolate nut butters.

Where people find your product: More than 200 retail locations and farmers' markets around Arizona and online at pbamericano.com.

One thing people would be surprised to know about your company: We still hand jar and hand label every batch of nut butter and roast our nuts the old-fashioned way by raking them over a large griddle to get the best roast and flavor.

Notable moment in the past year: "Getting invited to speak to the student body of Xavier High School at career day," said Malkoon. "They went nuts!"

Number of Arizona employees: 12.

Years doing business in Arizona: 4.

Arizona Made, by category

FARMING: McClendon's Select | Shamrock Farms

FOOD: Inventure Foods/Poore Bros. | Noble Bread | Cerreta Candy Co.

DRINK: SanTan Brewing Co. | Passport Coffee and Tea | China Mist Iced Tea

ENTREPRENEURS: Peanut Butter Americano | Navajo weaver Jane Hyden

TECHNOLOGY: Microchip Technology | Axon, formerly Taser International

MANUFACTURING: Bonded Logic | Western Heritage Furniture

DEFENSE AND AEROSPACE: The Boeing Co. | Honeywell Aerospace