Discovering NC Agriculture is a year-long series focusing on twelve N.C. grown, raised, caught, and made commodities. Tune in each month to see how an N.C. commodity is grown, harvested, packed for consumer use and more. Learn nutritional value, find fun recipes to try, hear from local chefs who use that product, and other unique commodity facts throughout the series. We look forward to helping you better understand some of our N.C. commodities and how they impact your everyday lives!
Hampton Farms is a name that rings out across North Carolina from retail chains to baseball fields. Did you know that Hampton Farms also takes on a different name in the agriculture industry? Severn Peanut has been owned and operated by the Barnes Family since 1917. From working with peanut farmers across the state to packing, roasting and more, Severn Peanut touches the industry in many ways to ensure the best local products get into the hands of consumers.
From the field to the table, Severn Peanut takes pride in playing a direct role throughout the process of growing, harvesting and processing NC peanuts. In fact, Severn Peanut currently partners with nearly 400 N.C. peanut farmers each year to ensure the best quality peanuts are grown and distributed not just in North Carolina, but across all fifty states. Farmers can partner with Hampton Farms by contacting one of 25 buying stations in the state, where peanuts are graded, stored, or shipped to locations like Severn Peanut. From selling seed at the start of the season, to purchasing peanuts after harvest, Severn Peanut works with farmers to ensure they produce the best peanut crop each year for consumers to enjoy.
Beginning in April, Severn Peanut sources and sells pure NC Certified Foundation Virginia-type peanut seeds to contracted growers. These growers then plant the seeds purchased from Severn Peanut to produce registered seed, which is returned to the growers and multiplied into certified seed that will be sold to peanut farmers for crop production. After Severn Peanut sells the seed to their partnered farmers, Meherrin Agricultural and Chemical Company provides crop protectants & fertilizer specially formulated for growing conditions. By working with these trusted companies and farmers, Hampton Farms can ensure the best quality product for their consumers. Currently, the seed team at Severn Peanut is working to treat seeds and bag them to prepare for planting season in May.
Peanut farmers grow four different types of peanuts: Virginia, Runner, Valencia, and Spanish. The most common variety, especially for use at Hampton Farms, is the Virginia peanut, which is the largest and most recognizable peanut variety grown in our state. This variety is grown primarily in NC, SC, VA, TX and OK. Runner peanuts are smaller, rounder and the primary peanut used to make candy and peanut butter. This variety of peanut produces the largest volume across the U.S., which leads to a generally less expensive product. Valencia nuts, grown primarily in NM, frequently have more than one peanut per shell and are ideal for boiling. Lastly, Spanish peanuts are small and reddish brown in color. They have a high oil content, making them perfect for extracting peanut oil. This variety is also used frequently in peanut brittle and other candies. Although farmers across North Carolina can & do harvest all four of these varieties, the Virginia and Runner are the most common.
Once peanuts are harvested from partnered farms, they are sent straight to Severn Peanut Company for processing. Severn Peanuts has more than 30 separate storage warehouses, spread out across four states, where peanuts are stored until being delivered to Hampton Farms shelling facility for cleaning and sizing. From there, Hampton Farms roasts to order to ensure freshness and delivers product using contracted carriers and its fleet of company-owned trucks, ensuring product arrives on time. As the number one in-shell peanut company in America, and the only company to roast peanuts with flavor inside the shell, Hampton Farms takes great pride in their products, with in-shell varieties being their main focus.
From fancy to jumbo, Hampton Farms offers a variety of flavors and sizes of their in-shell peanuts. Whether you prefer salted, unsalted, Cajun, or Hatch Chile, they have a flavor and product fit for your palate. Although you can find Hampton Farms in-shell products in retail chains across the country, they are most popular at baseball fields, including MLB stadiums, and other sporting events, like Carolina Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes games! “Summer just wouldn’t be the same without baseball and roasted in-shell peanuts,” Mikayla Pittman, Brand Manager at Hampton Farms said. “We are proud to be an official licensee of Major League Baseball and have our products as a centerpiece of such a strong American tradition, as well as other sporting events each year.” In addition to their in-shell peanut products, Hampton Farms also offers shelled and flavored peanuts, tree nuts, nut butters, peanut brittle and more. Shop today online or in the produce section of grocery stores across our state to support your N.C. peanut farmers!
