Meet Jeffrey Alexander Malkoon | Co-Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeffrey Alexander Malkoon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeffrey Alexander, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The people who think critically about where they spend their time and money. It’s easy to buy generic today. It’s what most people do. Standard beer company. Standard peanut butter company. Standard candle company, etc. You see a wall of it at the store. It may not be the healthiest choice, but It’s cheap. It may not support American entrepreneurship, but It’s convenient. We all do this at times. But the people who take the extra step of understanding the power of their choices in this world and acting on that knowledge – supporting independent, community businesses run by entrepreneurs working their asses off to make a difference and succeed – those people might as well be the sole factor behind the success of our brand and any brand. They’re that important to us and to society.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Americano Foods is a nutritious spread company based in Phoenix, AZ. Founded in 2013 Americano Foods develops, produces and distributes nut butter products in multiple unique flavors. Our products can be found in thousands of retail locations including Sprouts, Fry’s, AJs and Amazon Prime. We are most proud of our work with local nonprofits and hunger relief agencies like St. Mary’s Food Bank.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Cochise County. Bisbee, Chihuahua National Monument, the sky islands. One of the most unique and underappreciated parts of Arizona and the world.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Anajhensi Gutierrez. Ana manages a micro-bank called La Base that is based in the city of Leon, Nicaragua. With the mission of assisting anyone with a dream to build a business plan and find financing, Ana and the La Base team are making about as real of an impact in our world as anyone can. Through the work of La Base Nicaraguans get a foot on the economic latter and stay there by building credit and solid sustainable businesses. Earlier this year I had the privilege of joining Ana on a visit to one such business, a honey cooperative about an hour outside of Leon. The family leading this business were on their 7th loan from La Base having repaid the previous 6 and having used the funds to acquire bee-keeping equipment and build their brand at Nicaraguan farmer’s markets. The model works. Ana is a change-maker. I think the most impressive thing of all is that on top of her work, Ana is a dedicated mother. She deserves all of the credit and support in the world for the movement she is building.

Website: eatamericano.com
Instagram: @americanofoods
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/americanofoods
Twitter: @americanofoods
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanofoods/