Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

62 | MAY 25 • 2023 

Choosey Moms Choose 
… Velvet Peanut Butter
F

or many, many years, those three boys stared at me when I was having lunch. “Pure” 
and “Delicious” looked friendly enough, but I never quite trusted that “Fresh” kid. 
He did look mischievous. I am referring to the three kids on the label of the Velvet 
Peanut Butter jar.
No offense to those parents who bought Skippy, Peter Pan or Jif peanut butter for their 
homes, but growing up, we had Velvet Peanut Butter. Long before the famous “Choosey 
Mothers Choose Jif” television advertisement, Velvet was the peanut butter of choice for 
many “choosey” mothers in Metro Detroit.
Velvet was and is a Jewish Detroit original. It was invented and produced 
in Detroit, a product that made its way into thousands, if not millions, of 
homes in Michigan. My wife, Pam, was raised in Northern Michigan, and 
her mom bought Velvet for her family in Boyne City.
I figured Velvet was a most worthy topic for a search 
in the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish 
Detroit History. I found several great stories about 
Velvet and its founder, Paul Zuckerman.
One cannot write about Velvet without writing about 
Zuckerman. Born in Istanbul in 1912 to Joseph Zuckerman and Rose 
Popper, he grew up in Detroit during the Great Depression of the 
1930s and was a great example of a self-made Jewish immigrant success 
story. He began classes at the University of Detroit at the age of 15 while 
working various jobs, including driving a truck, then working as a man-
ager and buyer for a food wholesaler. Zuckerman, however, was a born 
entrepreneur, and he wanted to make a better peanut butter. 
In the 1930s, peanut butter was not the product it is today; that is, a 
smooth, tasty spread that holds together in a jar. Today’s peanut butter is 
the result of years of experimentation by people like Zuckerman. 
In 1944, Zuckerman introduced a “homogenized” peanut butter, trademarked 
as “Fresh. Pure. Delicious,
” as personified by the three freckled-faced kids on 
Velvet’s label. In fact, those three kids stared at me again yesterday while I was 
shopping at our local market.
Velvet was a huge success. Zuckerman became a wealthy man and one of 
Jewish Detroit’s great leaders. Nearly 1,200 pages in the Archive mention 
Zuckerman and his wife, Helen, and their support for hundreds of good causes 
in Michigan and Israel. 
The JN holds great stories about Velvet itself. For a fine history of Velvet see 
an article titled (go figure) “Fresh. Pure. Delicious.
” in the Feb. 5, 2015, issue. 
The illustration for this piece is a c. 1940s Velvet label design with the now 
famous three kids. Another article from April 4, 2019, is about the reintroduc-
tion of Velvet to local Detroit stores after an absence of almost 25 years. 
Velvet is enough of a Detroit gastronomic institution that legendary JN writer Danny Raskin wrote about it 
in his “Best of Everything” columns. In 1985 and repeated in 2004, Danny quoted journalist George Cantor 
about his rather elaborate production method for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Cantor insisted upon 
using Velvet for the perfect PBJ creation (Dec. 6, 1985; Feb. 6, 2004).
Yes, Velvet is a great Detroit tradition. But I’m still not sure that I trust that “Fresh” kid. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

