Mom accidentally became the CEO of American Dream Nut Butter.
Leah Harley never imagined that the company she started in her home would become her livelihood.
“The American Dream started in my house in 2018,” Harley told Fox News Digital in an interview from her home in Noblesville, Indiana.
At the time, Harley was in a cancer battle and developed several food intolerances. “Everything,” she said, except for a few things: turkey, rice, and peanut butter.
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It was that last one that was the real game changer, not just for her physical health.
“I discovered that I can taste peanut butter as a dessert,” she says.
Leah Hurley of Indiana is the founder and CEO of American Dream Nut Butter. (American Dream Peanut Butter)
And instead of eating junk food, she made her own nut butters to satisfy her sweet tooth and not cause pain.
“Not only did that curb my sweet tooth, it changed my body composition,” she says.
Harley, a former personal trainer, began working her nut butters into her clients’ plans, “and they saw the same results I did,” she says.
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“So my husband was begging me to let him take me to bodybuilding competitions because we had friends who were competitors,” she said.
At first Harley was hesitant and wouldn’t let him, but that didn’t stop him.
“It was very popular. Everyone loved it.”
“He took it without me knowing, and that was great, everyone loved it,” she said.
Before long, people were coming to her house to fill their own jars with peanut butter. She realized she had to start selling herself.
“Still remember the first order.”
Harley started posting her nut butters on social media and saw her following grow.
I started with 12 followers in 2018 and now it’s up to 200,000. “I can still remember the first online order I placed.”
American Dream Nut Butter It had its first online sale in 2018. The company had its millionth by 2024. (American Dream Peanut Butter)
That first order was so exciting that she and her family started dancing around the house, she told Fox News Digital.
In July 2024, American Dream Nut Butter made its millionth online sale.
“It’s a crazy story from nothing to now,” she said.
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Harley named her company the American Dream because, for her and her family, “it feels like what we’re doing.”
She said, “We’re living the American dream. We’re the epitome of how people can go from nothing. And then you know, with a little luck and hard work and God’s grace, you really can. Make a difference.”
Since turning her American Dream nut butter business into a company, Harley says she and her family have been “living the American dream.” (American Dream Peanut Butter)
“It was because I was laid off from my regular job,” she told Fox News Digital, due to the company’s multiple illnesses.
‘main ingredients’
She says the process of creating one of her products starts with a small budget and high-quality ingredients. The protein powder in American Dream Products is made specifically for the company.
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“It starts with the main ingredients I use, making sure those taste good first, and then finding the right ratio,” she says.
Then she goes to the “macros” of the product: the amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Harley says she wants her nut butters to “taste like you’re eating the real thing.” (American Dream Peanut Butter)
“I want it to taste like you’re eating the real thing,” she said.
“There’s no protein brownie that tastes like brownie. But I want to get as close as possible without using artificial sweeteners because I don’t like those,” Harley said.
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In addition to making peanut butter, cookies and other protein-packed treats, American Dream’s other goal is to “try to help as many people as we can.”
A group especially close to her heart are veterans. The American Dream company has its own veterans and first responder program called “America’s Heroes.”
“One of the things the soldiers miss from home is junk food.”
“And every month, clients or ambassadors nominate a veteran or first responder or active duty military for us to send a care package to. We do 100 a month,” she said.
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Soldiers overseas receive a “big box full of goodies” in addition to peanut butter and other American Dream products.
“One of the things the soldiers miss from home is junk food,” Hurley said.
American Dream’s “American Heroes” program sends 100 care packages a month to military, veterans and first responders, the founder said. (American Dream Peanut Butter)
“So with our peanut butter, we’re going to do things like Doritos and Pop-Tarts and cookies and all the things you ask for and some fun activities like crosswords and stuff like that to fill the time.”
In making nut butters, Harley says she’s found what she believes to be a gift from God, both nutritious and flavorful.
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“I don’t know how to do it right,” she said.
“I feel like everybody has a gift from God, and that’s my gift. It wasn’t until I started the American Dream that I was like, ‘Oh my God, I have a gift from God.'”