5 weeks
That’s the current lifespan of a Zabees Bite.
When you check the "Best By" date on our bag, just count back 5 weeks: That’s the day it came out of our oven. It’s also the exact day the nut butter was created. Peanut, cashew, or hazelnut - we grind it from scratch, in house, on the same day the batch is mixed and baked.
Natural fats slowly oxidize. Aromas fade. Texture shifts. Some vitamins gradually degrade. Over time, the product moves further away from how it tasted when it was first baked. There’s growing evidence that longer storage times can gradually reduce certain nutrients, especially in foods made with real, minimally processed ingredients.
Lab Results vs. Real Life
We've had many long and ongoing discussions within our team about the shelf life, the pros and cons of longer vs. shorter. We actually sent our original flavor to a lab for shelf testing a few years ago. We had it tested for 8 weeks (realistically 9, given the time it took for the lab to receive the samples) and the results are here for anybody to see. Spoiler: they recommended the maximum. Testing tells us what’s safe, taste tells us what’s right.
We found that around the 5-week mark, our products are still soft, flavorful, and tasting fresh. Beyond that, nothing suddenly “goes bad”, but the experience starts drifting away from what we’re proud to put our name on. We use only simple, wholesome ingredients with no added preservatives.
Challenges
Short shelf life means more baking, more deliveries, more logistics, and more pressure on us. But it also means when you or I pick up a Zabees product, we're getting something that is truly fresh and natural.
We are actively looking for packaging alternatives that are sustainable and plastic free, without compromising the freshness of the product. If you have any suggestions, please share. In the meantime, logic tells us that the longer food sits wrapped in plastic, especially if it sits in a hot delivery truck or a warm warehouse, the higher the risk of the packaging affecting the food, another benefit of having a short shelf life.
Raising the bar
Shelf life information is rarely disclosed on packaging. Besides the 'exp' 'best by' 'use by' which are sometimes impossible to even find because they are printed too small or hidden. There’s usually no context for when something was actually made. One way we aim to raise the bar for packaged foods is by being transparent about shelf life. If you’ve ever thought about freshness, storage time, or how long food should really last, we’re always interested in hearing those thoughts.
