Premium Peanut buys land; Santee site prep begins this week

Premium Peanut announced Monday that it has completed the purchase of the northernmost tract in the South Carolina Gateway Park on Knowles Street in Santee.

The company will begin site preparation this week and anticipates construction of the first structure very soon.

“The purchase of this land is the first step in what we see as a strong partnership that our company will have with the farmers of South Carolina,” Premium Peanut President and CEO Karl Zimmer said in a release.

“Premium Peanut has committed to return more value back into the pockets of peanut growers, and in turn, their local communities, so we are eager to begin construction to do just that. Construction will begin soon, and we expect Phase I of the project to be complete by spring 2023,” Zimmer said.

The company announced plans last year to establish operations in Orangeburg County. The $64.3 million investment will create 130 new jobs.

The new shelling operation will provide additional local shelling capacity and will allow South Carolina peanut growers the opportunity to be a part of a cooperative model, the company said.

Premium Peanut is a grower-owned company with over 400 grower-owners.

It says its mission is to produce quality products for customers while maximizing the value of each peanut through operational innovations and excellence.

Premium Peanut’s customers include major snack, candy and peanut butter manufacturers domestically, as well as customers in more than 30 countries around the world.

Since the company began shelling peanuts in 2016, Premium Peanut has paid out over $54 million in dividends back to its grower-owners.

Premium Peanut said it “is grateful for the strong support from peanut growers and community leaders in South Carolina.”

For more information or to learn about jobs, visit premiumpnut.com.