Jif identifies 1958 as the year the brand was introduced by Procter & Gamble, although its corporate history traces the business lineage back to William T. Young’s earlier peanut butter company.[1]

Origins: Big Top

The history of Jif predates the brand name itself. In 1946, entrepreneur William T. Young established W. T. Young Foods in Lexington, Kentucky, producing a peanut butter called Big Top.[2] Young, a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, entered the peanut butter business following his military service.[2]

In 1955, Procter & Gamble acquired W. T. Young Foods and its peanut butter operations.[2] P&G subsequently reformulated and repositioned the product as a new national brand.[1][2]

The birth of Jif

Procter & Gamble introduced Jif in 1958.[1] The initial offering was a smooth, creamy peanut butter spread, which was later followed by a crunchy variety.[1] Early packaging featured a kangaroo mascot named Jifaroo.[1]

According to the brand’s official FAQ, the name “Jif” was deliberately selected because it was considered easy to say, spell, and remember.[3]

Becoming peanut butter

A significant chapter in Jif’s early history relates to the U.S. government’s definition of peanut butter. In the early 1960s, the FDA established a standard requiring products labelled “peanut butter” to contain at least 90% peanuts.[3] Jif developed a formula that met this 90% threshold while retaining the desired spreadability.[3]

This development occurred during a broader industry dispute involving Jif, Skippy, and Peter Pan regarding the appropriate standards for peanut butter.[2]

Advertising has played a pivotal role in Jif’s history. In 1966, the brand introduced the slogan:

“Choosy Mothers Choose Jif.”[4]

The tagline was updated to “Choosy Moms Choose Jif” in 1988.[4] This campaign positioned Jif as the preferred choice for discerning parents, particularly mothers. Academic research on the brand’s advertising history credits this campaign with helping Jif overtake Skippy to become a market leader.[2]

The slogan transcended its role as a mere advertising line to become a defining element of the brand’s cultural identity.

Over the decades, Jif has expanded significantly beyond its original creamy and crunchy offerings. Key milestones include:

• 1958: National introduction of Jif, initially with creamy and subsequently crunchy varieties.[1]
• 1962: Reformulation to contain 90% peanuts, meeting the FDA peanut butter standard.[3]
• 1966: Launch of the “Choosy Mothers Choose Jif” advertising campaign.[1]
• 1971: Molasses replaced honey as the sweetener in the formula.[1]
• 1976: Introduction of Jif Extra Crunchy.[1]
• 1986: Transition from glass jars to plastic packaging.[3]
• 1991: Launch of Simply Jif, featuring lower sodium and less sugar than regular Jif.[1]
• 1994: Introduction of Reduced Fat Jif.[1]
• 2006: Launch of Jif To-Go portable peanut butter.[1]
• 2009: Introduction of natural peanut butter varieties.[1]
• 2020: Launch of Jif Squeeze.[1]
• 2024: Introduction of Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread.[1]

A major turning point occurred in 2001 when The J.M. Smucker Company agreed to acquire Jif from Procter & Gamble. Smucker subsequently became the brand’s owner, with Jif’s current FAQ identifying 2002 as the start of Smucker’s ownership.[1][3]

Today, Jif sits within Smucker’s portfolio alongside brands such as Smucker’s, Folgers, Milk-Bone, Meow Mix, and Uncrustables.

While peanut butter remains the core of Jif, the brand has developed a diverse range of products and formats.

Traditional peanut butter

The classic Jif range includes:

• Creamy Peanut Butter
• Crunchy Peanut Butter
• Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
• Simply Jif
• Natural Peanut Butter products

Historically, the brand has utilised different formulations to address consumer preferences regarding texture, sweetness, sodium content, and ingredients.[1]

Convenience products

Jif has adapted its peanut butter for on-the-go consumption through:

• Jif To-Go, individual portable portions
• Jif Squeeze, a squeezable format

These products reflect the brand’s expansion beyond the traditional household jar.[1]

Flavoured products

In 2024, Jif expanded into the combination of peanut butter and chocolate with Jif Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread.[1]

Jif’s branding is strongly associated with its red, blue, and white packaging, large recognisable logo, and distinctive jar shape.

Early marketing utilised Jifaroo, a blue kangaroo mascot that appeared during the brand’s initial national rollout, helping to establish a recognisable personality for Jif.[1] However, the brand’s most enduring identity has been its emphasis on taste and consumer choice, particularly through the “Choosy Mothers Choose Jif” campaign.

Jif’s marketing has historically focused heavily on families and children. Rather than advertising peanut butter merely as a commodity, the brand sought to establish Jif as the preferred choice of careful, discerning parents. This approach distinguished Jif from competitors such as Skippy and Peter Pan.

Academic research describes the “Choosy Mothers Choose Jif” campaign as a primary factor in Jif’s rise from a weaker market position in the late 1950s and early 1960s to U.S. market leadership.[2]

The brand has also experimented with newer marketing forms. In 2020, for example, Jif participated in the internet debate surrounding the pronunciation of the word “GIF”, creating the #JifvsGif campaign in partnership with GIPHY.[1]

Jif products are manufactured in North America. The parent company states that its spreads operations involve facilities in Lexington, Kentucky; New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; and Orrville, Ohio, with more than 850 Smucker employees involved in spreads operations.[1]

Lexington holds particular historical significance as the site where William T. Young established his original peanut butter operation in the 1940s.

The ownership history of the brand can be summarised as:

William T. Young / W. T. Young Foods → Procter & Gamble → The J.M. Smucker Company

The brand was created from Young’s earlier Big Top peanut butter business, which was acquired by P&G in 1955, transformed into Jif, and eventually sold to Smucker.[1][2]

Today, Jif operates as a brand within The J.M. Smucker Company rather than as a separate publicly traded entity.

Jif has participated in various initiatives relating to nutrition, peanut research, and children’s welfare.

The brand and its parent company have partnered with The Peanut Institute, a non-profit organisation focused on peanut nutrition research and education. Smucker states that its partnership with the organisation dates to 1996 and that it has pledged more than $1 million to it.[3]

Jif has also partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 2003 and was associated with the U.S. Olympic Team as a sponsor for the 2014 Winter Olympics.[1]

Jif occupies an important position in American food culture, as peanut butter became a household staple during the 20th century. Entering this established market in the late 1950s, Jif distinguished itself through aggressive branding, advertising, and product development.

Its long-running “Choosy Mothers Choose Jif” campaign helped make the brand recognisable beyond the product itself. In this sense, Jif exemplifies how a relatively ordinary grocery product can become a major consumer brand through distinctive positioning and advertising.[2]

As of 2026, Jif remains one of the flagship brands of The J.M. Smucker Company and continues to be positioned as a major American peanut butter brand. Smucker describes Jif as America’s #1 peanut butter brand.[1]

The brand has evolved from a traditional peanut butter product into a broader portfolio encompassing different textures, formulations, portable formats, squeezable packaging, and flavoured spreads, while retaining its core association with peanut butter.[1]

In one sentence

Jif is a U.S. peanut butter brand introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1958, developed from William T. Young’s Big Top peanut butter business, acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company in the early 2000s, and built into an iconic American food brand through product innovation and its famous “Choosy Mothers Choose Jif” advertising campaign.[1]

Official resources

• Jif — Official Website
• Jif — Official Brand History
• J.M. Smucker — History of Jif
• Jif — Frequently Asked Questions

1. history-of-jif
2. Jif: “But Is It Still Peanut Butter?” | Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food | Columbia Scholarship Online | Oxford Academic
3. FAQs
4. Our History