Mother who started nut butter company in basement is living 'American Dream'

Lea Hurley never thought the company she started in her basement would become her livelihood.  

"American Dream started in my basement, way back in 2018," Hurley told Fox News Digital in an interview from her home in Noblesville, Indiana.

At the time, Hurley was in the middle of a cancer battle and had developed many food intolerances. "Everything" made her sick, she said, except for a few things: turkey, rice and nut butter.

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It was that last one that ended up being the true game-changer, and not just for her physical health.

"I discovered I could make nut butter taste like dessert," she said. 

And instead of eating junk food, she made her own nut butters that would help satisfy her sweet tooth and didn't make her ill.

"Not only did that help curb my sweet tooth, it really changed my body composition as well," she said. 

Formerly a personal trainer, Hurley began working her nut butters into her clients' plans, "and they saw the same results that I did," she said. 

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"So my husband kept begging me to let him take it to a bodybuilding competition because we had a ton of friends who were competitors," she said. 

Initially, Hurley was hesitant and refused to let him, but that didn't stop him. 

"He took it without my knowledge, and it was kind of a hit. Everybody loved it," she said. 

Before long, people were coming to her house to fill their own mason jars with nut butter. She realized she should begin selling them herself. 

Hurley began posting her nut butters on social media and saw her following grow. 

"I started out with 12 followers in 2018, and now we're up to 200,000," she said. "I can still remember the first online order that came in." 

That first order was so exciting that she and her family danced around the house, she told Fox News Digital.

In July 2024, American Dream Nut Butter made its millionth online sale. 

"It's kind of a crazy story, from starting from nothing all the way to what it is now," she said. 

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Hurley named her company American Dream because, for her and her family, "that's what we feel like we're doing." 

She said, "We're living the American dream. We are the epitome of what that means, how people can go from nothing. And then, you know, with a little bit of opportunity and hard work and God's grace, you can really make a difference."

The company "has actually been like a godsend, because I would have been fired from my regular job with all the work I would have had to miss" due to her numerous illnesses, she told Fox News Digital. 

The process of creating one of her products, she said, starts with a bit of math as well as high-quality ingredients. The protein powder in American Dream's products is specially made for the company.

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"It starts with the core ingredients I'm using, making sure that those taste good first, and then getting the right ratio," she said. 

She then moves on to the "macros" of the product: the amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. 

"I also want it to taste like you're almost eating the real thing," she said, as much as that is possible. 

"There's no protein brownie that's going to taste just like a brownie. But I want to get it as close as possible without using artificial sweeteners because I really don't like those," Hurley said. 

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Aside from making nut butters, cookies and other protein-packed treats, American Dream's other goal is "to try to help as many people as we can." 

One group especially close to her heart is veterans. American Dream has its own veterans and first responder program that the company has dubbed "American Heroes." 

"And every month, customers or ambassadors will nominate a veteran or first responder or active duty military for us to send a care package to. We do 100 of those a month," she said. 

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Overseas troops receive "a big box full of goodies" in addition to nut butters and other American Dream products.

"One of the things the troops said they missed from home was junk food," Hurley said. 

"So, along with our nut butters, we will pack things like Doritos and Pop-Tarts and cookies and all of the things that they requested, plus some fun things to do, like crosswords and things like that to kind of fill the time." 

Through making nut butters that are both nutritious and tasty, Hurley said she has uncovered what she believes is a gift from God. 

"I don't know exactly how I do it," she said. 

"I feel like everyone has different gifts from God, and this is my gift. It wasn't until I started American Dream that I was like, 'My gosh, I do have a God-given talent.'"