To think of a time when peanut butter would leave people confused may sound absurd today. But back in 2006, Kerala was only just beginning to see the arrival of foreign foods that were practically unheard of. Jams were quite common, but peanut butter was unheard of. The idea that “butter” could mean anything beyond Amul butter was a shock to many. Peanut butter? Was it really butter? What did it even taste like? And more importantly, what exactly was it? While most people were still trying to figure out the new economy, Thomas Mathew was busy building what would become Mellow Peanut Butter.
Thomas Mathew was, by all accounts, an ordinary man. He looked after his plantations in Pala, Kottayam, and loved growing agricultural crops, rubber, fruits, and other plantation crops. Around 20 years ago, he started Mellow Peanut Butter, a family-run, all-natural, no-nasties peanut butter brand from Kerala. From the very beginning, Thomas wanted Mellow to be different. Every jar would be made fresh in small batches using handpicked peanuts sourced from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, slowly roasted to bring out their natural flavour. The brand would contain no palm oil, no artificial flavours, no preservatives and no added colours, a philosophy that Mellow continues to follow even today.
Love for Peanut Butter
As a child, there was one thing Thomas Mathew looked forward to every year – his uncle’s visit home from the United States. Every time they came home, they would bring jars of peanut butter, much like how today’s Gulf expats bring back exotic chocolates. The moment Thomas tasted it, he fell in love. Little did he know that those visits would plant the seed for what would eventually become Mellow Peanut Butter as he grew older.
I sat down with Paul Thomas, Thomas Mathew’s son and the second generation behind Mellow Peanut Butter. Trained as an HR professional, Paul eventually resigned from his job to follow his passion and continue what his father had started. As he recalls his childhood, breakfast almost always meant peanut butter. “My mother used to make peanut butter every week for my brother and me, and we’d go to school with our PB&J sandwiches. It became our staple breakfast,” he says.
While peanut butter was a normal part of life in the Kuruvinakunnel household, hardly anyone in Kerala knew what it was. Thomas saw that not just as an opportunity, but as a challenge. How do you introduce people to a product they’ve never heard of? How do you convince them to try something called peanut butter when butter, to most people, meant only Amul?
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How Mellow Peanut Butter Started
Determined to make it happen, Thomas approached the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru to understand how peanut butter could be produced commercially. He wanted to recreate the same peanut butter taste from his childhood memory, so he learned the ropes. Armed with that knowledge, he returned to his village and set up a small production unit in his hometown by providing job opportunities to the local women and even designing much of the machinery himself. The production underwent a lot of trial and error to recreate the same quality and taste Thomas had tasted as a child. He was a man with a vision, someone who genuinely wanted people to experience what he had felt the first time he tasted peanut butter.
And boy, did it work because that trust still lasts today.
When Peanut Butter Brands Entered India
It was around this time that India’s first peanut butter brand entered the market. Although it shut down production after a few years because it had entered the market far too early, it still holds the distinction of being the country’s first. Right after came Mellow Peanut Butter, making it one of India’s oldest surviving peanut butter brands. But hardly anyone knew about it because it had arrived at a time when people were still trying to understand what peanut butter even was. Those who did try it, however, instantly fell in love with it.
A few years later, a major peanut butter brand took the Indian market by storm, and that changed everything for peanut butter as a category itself. Being a much larger company, it invested heavily in advertising and introduced peanut butter to millions of Indians. In many ways, that turned out to be a blessing for Mellow Peanut Butter because the new entrant helped change consumer behaviour and built awareness around the product. People finally knew what peanut butter was.
Mellow, meanwhile, continued doing what it had always done by focusing on quality. Nearly 20 years after it was founded, Mellow Peanut Butter continues to attract customers who value taste over marketing. Many families in South India have been buying the brand for years, with some even placing monthly subscription orders. That loyal customer base has largely been built through word of mouth rather than advertising. The family believed it then, and still believes today, that theirs is the tastiest and freshest peanut butter that is slow-roasted and handpicked you will ever find. As Paul confidently puts it, you need to taste it to believe it.
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The “Kadala Factory” Tale
If you head to Thidanad, Kottayam, to visit the farm-based unit and ask people around where Mellow or the peanut butter factory is, no one would know what you’re talking about. But if you ask where the Kadala Factory is, they’ll happily point you in the right direction. The name “Kadala Factory” itself was coined by the locals, and it has an interesting story behind it. “When you’re roasting peanuts, the whole area smells of them,” Paul says with a smile. “That’s how everyone in the village started referring to it.” The smell of roasted peanuts reminded them of kadala, and that’s how the factory got its name.
Even today, many of the women who joined the factory in 2006 continue to work there. “They’ve been with us from the beginning,” Paul says. “It may have taken years of formal training, but they know exactly when the peanuts are roasted perfectly. It’s a skill they’ve developed over nearly 20 years.”
What Makes Mellow Peanut Butter Different?
Ask Paul what makes Mellow Peanut Butter different, and he doesn’t begin with protein content or marketing claims. He talks about peanuts.
Most peanut butter brands in India source large peanuts from Gujarat because they are widely available and commercially economical. Mellow, on the other hand, sources smaller peanuts from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu mainly because it tastes better and has a different flavour. This choice came only after Thomas Mathew spent years researching and experimenting with different varieties.
Paul says, “Great peanut butter starts with great peanuts. That’s why we source ours directly from farms in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, where the peanuts have a naturally rich sweetness. We’ve always believed in doing things the slow way. Every peanut is handpicked, slow-roasted and made fresh in small batches. We don’t use palm oil, artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. It’s a philosophy my father started with in 2006, and one we’ve continued to follow ever since.”
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How Mellow Peanut Butter Is Made
The production process is equally deliberate and, I must say, longer than I thought. But that’s also where the taste comes from. While many manufacturers can produce jars within minutes using automated systems, Mellow Peanut Butter takes nearly two days to complete a single batch.
“We’ve always believed that the process is just as important as the ingredients. The peanuts are slow-roasted to bring out their natural flavour and aroma. While modern equipment helps us maintain consistency, there’s still a human touch at every stage. We think that’s what gives Mellow Peanut Butter its rich, authentic taste,” Paul says.
Every batch is still supervised by Thomas himself. “My father checks every batch that leaves the factory,” Paul says. “His philosophy is simple: if it’s not good enough for our own family, it’s not good enough for our customers. Every jar should be something we’d proudly feed even my four-year-old niece.”
That same philosophy extends to the ingredients as well. The natural peanut butter contains nothing but roasted peanuts, while even the sweetened variant contains only a small amount of sugar compared to most commercial brands. Even with the packaging, they have ensured not to compromise on the quality.
Although Paul has gradually taken over the business, Mellow Peanut Butter remains a personal passion for the family, especially Thomas. “My father never wanted this to become just another business,” Paul says. “He wanted Mellow to be a brand people could trust. And money is always the last thing on his mind.” That philosophy explains why the company has largely avoided aggressive marketing over the years. Instead, Mellow grew mainly through word of mouth.
What can you use Peanut Butter For?
Traditionally, most people associate peanut butter with a slice of bread or toast. But it can be so much more than that. A spoonful of peanut butter can instantly make everyday foods like pancakes, oats, smoothies and even fruits more filling and flavourful. You can swirl it into oatmeal, blend it into a smoothie, drizzle it over banana slices, mix it into yoghurt, or simply enjoy it by the spoonful. It’s one of those ingredients that’s just as comfortable in a quick breakfast as it is in a post-workout snack.
Keeping the Mellow Peanut Butter Legacy Alive
Today, however, Paul says the focus remains on growing steadily while staying true to what his father built. Mellow peanut butter is slowly introducing itself to a new generation of consumers. Plans are also underway to open the factory to visitors. “No one really knows how peanut butter is made,” Paul says. “We want people to come, see the process for themselves and understand exactly what goes into every jar.” For a company built on transparency, it feels like the next natural step.
Nearly 20 years after Thomas Mathew first tried convincing people in Kerala to taste peanut butter, the product is finally everywhere. In a small nook in Pala, the same jars are still being checked by hand, the same women are still timing the roast by smell, and the air around the factory still carries that same signature warmth. It is, after all, a peanut butter made by a peanut butter lover.
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FAQs
What is Mellow Peanut Butter? Mellow Peanut Butter is a family-run peanut butter brand from Pala, Kerala, founded in 2006 by Thomas Mathew. It is one of India’s oldest surviving peanut butter brands.
Where is Mellow Peanut Butter made? Mellow Peanut Butter is made in Thirunadu, near Pala, Kottayam, where the family continues to produce every batch by hand.
What makes Mellow Peanut Butter different? Unlike most brands that source larger peanuts from Gujarat, Mellow uses smaller peanuts from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, and follows a two-day small-batch, slow-roasted production process.
Does Mellow Peanut Butter contain preservatives? No. The natural variant contains only roasted peanuts, while the sweetened version contains a small amount of sugar and no unnecessary additives.
Where can I buy Mellow Peanut Butter? You can buy directly from their website.
