In 1910, Sibbele Koeze was a wholesale grocer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Selling produce, butter, and eggs to small general stores in the area, he could have hardly imagined that his modest family grocery would grow into the nationally-known company that Koeze has become. When Sibbele’s son, Albertus, purchased a local peanut butter company in 1918, Koeze embarked on a new path that would lead it to worldwide fame a century later.

Today, Koeze’s Cream-Nut brand all natural peanut butter and Sweet Ella’s, its organic peanut butter brand, are made on the same traditional equipment that Albertus used. “It’s funny that in staying true to our origins, we’re seen as unique,” Koeze managing director Jeff Koeze said. “Nearly all of the peanut butters you’ll find at the grocery store are highly processed, made with hydrogenated oils and added sugars–even among those that claim to be ‘natural’ or ‘old-fashioned.’” Koeze peanut butter, on the other hand, has always contained just two ingredients — peanuts and sea salt.

Koeze’s authentically-roasted nuts have taken on a life of their own even apart from their crucial role in the company’s world-famous peanut butter. As early as the 1920’s, Albertus Koeze began roasting nuts to sell alongside the peanut butter. Over the following decades, his son Scott perfected the technique by locating the best-quality tree nuts and tweaking the roasting process. It is from that ingenuity and hard work that Koeze’s Colossal Cashews and gourmet nuts became world famous. Today, under the watchful eye of Scott’s son, Jeff, Koeze Company roasts and sells cashews, deluxe mixed nuts, and other gourmet nuts by the millions.

But nuts alone aren’t the full story of Koeze’s success–some sweetness was needed. In the 1980s, Koeze matriarch Ruth joined her husband, Scott, to begin combining Koeze’s already famous nuts and peanut butter with fine artisan chocolate and Delen caramel. The resulting gourmet chocolates, chocolate turtles, peanut butter clusters, and chocolate-covered dried fruits and nuts have become quintessential holiday gifts.

Today, unique gift baskets that combine all three of Koeze’s staples–peanut butter, gourmet nuts, and fine chocolates–are the company’s hallmark. Current president Jeff Koeze revolutionized the ordering process to ensure an efficient, stress-free experience, whether a customer is sending a single basket, several employee gifts, or hundreds of corporate business gifts. Products are now sold wholesale, directly at Koeze’s two retail stores in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through charitable division Third Coast Partners, and most recently Koeze Direct, a mail order and online catalog.

Jeff Koeze said that these innovations sprung from his atypical background. “Until the late 1990s, I was a law professor,” Koeze said. “After my parents retired, I took on their roles with a lot of book knowledge, but not a lot of hands-on experience.” He worked closely with the roasters on staff to understand the traditional manufacturing process, and also brought in outside advisers to help him analyze the business from a customer’s perspective.

“Unparalleled customer service has become just as critical to our continued success as our products,” Koeze explained. Koeze’s “Good as Gold” Guarantee means that customers can expect not just the highest quality products, but exceptional customer service, tastefully prepared gifts, and accurate shipments.

With this kind of product and philosophy, it’s likely that Koeze will have no trouble remaining “Good as Gold” for the next 100 years.