Crazy about canines, nuts about nuts! Sounds like a successful business plan

Tuesday, July 6, 2010
by Marci Garson

It’s raining chocolate.  Now that’s my idea of an ideal weather forecast.  Especially if it’s drizzling white, milk and dark chocolate over organic cashews, almonds and pecans flavored with 100% organic spices.

This is just one of three nutty concoctions that you will find in a jar of BobbySue’s Nuts. Perhaps instead you’ll choose “The Original” or the spicy “Some Like it Hot” recipe.  Whatever your preference, as the old adage goes, good things come in threes: In this case there are three varieties to choose from, all containing three types of nuts, brought to you by three women with three shared commitments to organic food, the environment and the homeless animal population.

“Top Hat and Tails” fundraiser for Briarcliff SPCA unites budding entrepreneurs

In fact, it was the homeless animal population that brought Deb Mehne of Pound Ridge, Sue Spiegel of Armonk and Barbara Kobren of Briarcliff together four years ago. Mehne and Kobren and Spiegel were and still are volunteers for the Westchester SPCA in Briarcliff. Mehne is chairwoman of the board, Kobren is secretary and Spiegel is a filmmaker who met the other two while shooting an SPCA “Top Hat and Tails” fundraiser aimed at helping raise the $3-5 million necessary to knock down the ailing facility in Briarcliff and rebuild it.

“We all clicked,” recalled Kobren. They were all crazy about canines and determined to make the Westchester SPCA a better environment for its four-legged guests.  “We do everything to make every arrival who crosses the threshold feel loved,” Kobren explained. ”We care for them as we would if they were in our own homes.”

These civic-minded women also care about cooking and the environment and decided they had the makings of a fabulous recipe that could fulfill their passions and accomplish their mission at the same time.

“Bobby Sue is actually nuts”

As a child Barbara Kobren’s uncle nicknamed her “BobbySue” and her Aunt Freda gave her niece a secret recipe for – you guessed it – nuts. (Only one other person in the United States has the recipe.)  Like any good mother who wouldn’t dream of sending her child off to school or camp without snacks, Kobren loaded up her son Ben up with Aunt Freda’s nuts when he set off to work on the Presidential campaign trail with Hillary Clinton. 

The nuts accompanied Ben all over the United States, and received rave revues. So Kobren, Mehne and Spiegel decided to bottle and sell them with a portion of the profits from every recyclable jar going to help make the lives of homeless animals better.  Like it says on the jar, “bobbysue is actually nuts . . . nuts about good food, nuts about the environment, and nuts about the plight of homeless animals.”

Kobren believes nothing in this journey has happened by mistake

“The animal shelter and the nuts intertwine like a figure-eight in my life,” explained Kobren. “Nothing in this journey has happened by mistake.” The partners’ venture began on April 25, 2009, with plenty of help.  They cook their product (Spiegel drizzles the chocolate by hand) in a commercial kitchen in Ossining at Matt Miller Productions.  “He gives us his kitchen to cook in for free!” Kobren gushed. “All along this journey so many people have offered to help.”

At first the nuts were sold in just five stores, including the Chappaqua Village Market and Village Prime Meats in Armonk.  Now 55 stores throughout the tri-state area carry the products as well as the Cowgirl Creamery in Washington D.C. and a specialty shop in Oklahoma. You may have indulged in the savory treat at the bar at the Iron Horse Grill in Pleasantville, the Blue Hill Café at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills or Murray’s Cheese in Manhattan. BobbySue’s Nuts are even sold in bulk for catering and they are featured in Ralph Lauren’s daughter’s Dylan Candy Bar.

“This venue allows us to branch out to SRO’s – socially responsible organizations. They get us, they get what we are all about,” Kobren explained.  “They get that if you join forces, you can make a difference.”

A legal addiction

You can also purchase these outrageously delicious nuts online at www.bobbysuesnuts.com. But let me warn you, they are addictive.  Even before I wrote this story I met Barbara Kobren at a tasting in Armonk and brought home a jar of “Some Like it Hot.”  My husband and I opened them on the kitchen counter and, well, let’s just say, they never saw the inside of the cabinet.

When I told Barbara of my fear of eating the entire jar by myself, she had a great suggestion.  “Buy them for the holiday,” she advised.  “Serve them to friends with a fabulous cheese and a great bottle of wine.  Your guests will love them and you will be forced to share!” 

Marci Garson is an Emmy-award winning television reporter. For 15 years she covered national news on Capitol Hill and local news in Miami, Florida, Connecticut and New York. Garson moved to Chappaqua in 1995 to raise her two boys.