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Planters

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Planters
Planters logo, Mr. Peanut, first created by a grade schooler Antonio Gentile in a contest in 1916.
Product typePeanut
OwnerHormel Foods
CountryUnited States
Introduced1906; 118 years ago (1906)
MarketsUnited States
Previous ownersKraft Heinz
Websitewww.planters.com

Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them.[1] Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gentile for a 1916 contest to design the company's brand icon.[1] The design was modified by a commercial artist and has continued to change over the years.

History

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Planters Nut & Chocolate Company advertisement in The Saturday Evening Post, 1921.

Planters was founded by Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He started his career as a bellhop and fruit stand vendor in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Obici later moved to Wilkes-Barre, opened his own fruit stand, and invested in a peanut roaster. Obici turned peddler within a few years, using a horse and wagon, and calling himself "The Peanut Specialist". In 1906, Obici entered a partnership with Mario Peruzzi, the soon to be owner of Planters. Peruzzi had developed his own method of blanching whole roasted peanuts, doing away with the troublesome hulls and skins; and so with six employees, two large roasters, and crude machinery, Planters was founded. Amedeo Obici believed that prices and first profits were as important as repeat business, focusing his operation on quality and brand name for continued success. Two years later, the firm was incorporated as Planters Nut and Chocolate Company. By 1913, Obici had moved to Suffolk, Virginia, the peanut capital of the world, and opened the company's first mass production plant and facility there. In 1950, the company created a puzzle called "PLANTERSPEANUTSPUZZLE" and offered prizes for that. [2] It was acquired by Standard Brands in 1960. In 1981, Standard Brands merged with Nabisco Brands, which was acquired by Kraft Foods in 2000. Kraft subsequently merged with the H.J. Heinz Company to form Kraft Heinz in 2015.[3]

In February 2021, Kraft Heinz announced it would sell Planters and its other nuts businesses to Hormel for $3.35 billion.[4] The transaction was completed on June 7.[5]

Slogans

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Planters Peanut Bar

Advertising taglines have included:

  • "The Nickel Lunch!" – peanuts/peanut bars (1930s–1940s)
  • "Planters is the word for (good) Peanuts." (Various products – 1950s)
  • "America is Nuts for Planters" (1970s)
  • "Everybody Loves a Nut!" (1990s)
  • "Peanut butter with a crunch." (P.B. Crisps – 1992)
  • "Relax. Go Nuts." (Deluxe Mixed Nuts – 1997)
  • "Put Out the Good Stuff." (Various products – 2003-2008)
  • "Instinctively Good." (Various products – 2007)
  • "Naturally Remarkable." (Various products – 2011)
  • "Deliciously NUT-RITIOUS." (UK range – 2016)
  • "Harness the Power of the Peanut"
  • "A Nut Above" (2021)
  • "Become One With the Nut"
  • "It's Nuts How Good They Are"
  • "The Power is in the Peanut"

Products

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A container of Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts
  • Cheez Balls (discontinued and reintroduced in 2018)
  • Cheez Curls (discontinued and reintroduced in 2018)[6]
  • Cocktail Peanuts
  • Cooking oil
  • CornNuts (acquired in late 1990s)
  • Chocolate Covered Cashews
  • Dry Roasted Peanuts
  • Dry Roasted Sunflower kernels
  • Honey Roasted Peanuts
  • Honey Roasted Cashews
  • Hot Peanuts
  • Mixed Nuts
  • NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix
  • Salted Cashews
  • Salted Peanuts
  • Salted Redskin Spanish Peanuts
  • Tavern Nuts (discontinued and reintroduced in 2009)
  • Smoked Almonds
  • Peanut Butter
  • Potato Chips
  • Salted Caramel Peanuts
  • Cocoa Peanuts
  • Chipotle Peanuts
  • Chili and Lime Peanuts
  • Sea Salt and Vinegar
  • Heat Peanuts
  • Smoked Peanuts
  • Sweet N' Crunchy Peanuts
  • Nut Clusters
  • Sweet N' Spicy

Discontinued

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  • Jumbo Block Peanut Candy (presumably discontinued)
  • Coconut Balls
  • Corn Chips
  • P.B. Crackers
  • P.B. Crisps (introduced in 1992)
  • Peanut Butter Chocolates
  • Peanut Bar
  • Peanut Butter candies
  • Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies
  • Onion Peanuts
  • Garlic Peanuts
  • Dry Roasted Cashews
  • Dry Roasted Peanuts (original version)

International

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Planters products in Canada, including Planters peanut butter, are made by Johnvince Foods (JVF Canada), who licenses the trademark from Kraft Canada.[7] (now Hormel foods).

As of 2016, Planters has launched into the United Kingdom with a range of 14 products under the tagline "Deliciously NUT-RITIOUS". Planters in the UK is made by Trigon Snacks Trading Ltd. at their factory in Aintree in Liverpool.

Vegan concerns

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Some Planters nut products such as their larger-sized jars of peanuts contain gelatin, making them unsuitable for vegans.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Planter's History of the Planter Nut". Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
  2. ^ "History of Planters Peanuts". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  3. ^ "Kraft Heinz Co (KHC) Announces Completion of Merger; Updates on Next Steps; Announces Dividend". streetinsider.com. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  4. ^ Lucas, Amelia (2021-02-11). "Kraft Heinz sells nuts business, including Planters, to Hormel for $3.35 billion". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  5. ^ Tascarella, Patty (7 June 2021). "Planters packs a punch as Kraft Heinz pockets $3.35B in cash from sale of nuts business". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  6. ^ Molina, Brett. "Planters Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls are coming back". URL. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Planters Canada makes the move to peanut butter". 20 June 2016.
  8. ^ Nichols, Daisy (October 4, 2017). "Salted Peanuts Aren't Always Vegan". The Daily Meal.
  9. ^ "Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts 16 oz Jar". Planters.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020. Ingredients: Peanuts, contains 2% or less of: sea salt, spices (contains celery), dried onion, dried garlic, paprika, natural flavor, sugar, gelatin, torula yeast, cornstarch, dried corn syrup, maltodextrin.
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