Once Again is Proudly Employee Owned for Nearly 50 Years

Nut and Seed Butter Company Produces Products with High-Level of Integrity

NUNDA, N.Y., Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Since 1976, Once Again Nut Butter has been paving the way in ethical and sustainable business practices. 100% employee owned and thriving, the 86-member team successfully brings organic and natural peanut, almond, cashew and seed butters, plus snacks, to market, while simultaneously striving to protect the environment, engage in fair trade practices, provide supply-chain transparency, and uphold unsurpassed safety and quality standards. They also actively support their community both at home and abroad.

Started by husband-and-wife duo Jeremy Thaler and Constance Potter, who had a history of launching employee-owned companies (hence the name!), Once Again operates under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), a retirement benefit plan that allows employees to be invested in the business with their own performance. Employees become participants in the plan after one year of service and are fully vested after six. Unlike most ESOPs, where voting is based on number of stock shares, each participant gets one vote (1 person = 1 vote), and committees help direct initiatives to meet company goals. In addition, employee participation in governance is supported through Board Member elections, with at least three employee-owners on the Board of Directors at all times. This participative style of management boosts employee retention, even in hard-to-fill manufacturing jobs, and inspires the team to produce products at a higher level of integrity and provide superior customer service.

Said Gael Orr, Once Again’s Director of Marketing and employee owner for over 15 years, “At Once Again, we see ourselves as more than just employees. We are business owners and proud to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The ESOP model has a way of uniting us, not just as a team – but as a community – toward a common goal of helping our company be successful.”

Once Again Nut Butter got its start with founder Jeremy making nut butter using a coffee roaster in his 800-square-foot basement. Headquartered in rural upstate New York, today the company owns and manages state-of-the-art SQF Certified facilities in Nunda, NY, and recently adopted an almond-only facility in Turlock, CA. The company’s organic and natural nut and seed butters, plus new graham crackers and graham sandwiches, are sold at retailers across the country. Once Again also produces products for industrial and foodservice customers. New partnerships with SedEx and HowGood bring third party verification to the brand’s Honest in Trade sustainability practices. Visit OnceAgainNutButter.com to learn more and follow @OnceAgainNutButter on social media.

October is Employee Ownership Month. For more information, visit the ESOP Association.