New Zealanders are being given the chance to purchase one on the country's rarest jars of peanut butter - the first to be grown here in Aotearoa.
Earlier this year, a joint venture between Plant & Food Research, Pic’s Peanut Butter, and Northland farmers with funding support from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund yielded 20kg of Hi Oleic peanuts.
They were the first to ever be successfully grown in New Zealand.
“We managed to get four jars of Peanut Butter from this first Northland crop,” says Pic’s Peanut Butter founder Pic Picot.
One of the jars went up for auction on TradeMe on 1 September, to support mentoring in the Northland region for Big Brothers Big Sisters New Zealand.
It may well be the country's most expensive jar of nutty spread, with the auction already at $1100 by lunchtime Wednesday.
One of the remaining jars of Pic’s New Zealand grown peanut butter will go on permanent display at Pic’s Peanut Butter World in Nelson, another will be donated to the Nelson Provincial Museum, and the last jar will be given to a New Zealand ‘hero’, who will be nominated by our community via Pic’s Peanut Butter’s social media channels.
Pic says that those bidding on the TradeMe auction have a unique, never-to-be-repeated chance to own a genuine piece of New Zealand food history.
“Our peanut butter makers hand shelled these nuts during their lunchtime. We roasted them at The Food Factory, Pic’s latest food venture and ground them in one of our original grinders. We think this is pretty special, so whatever you pay for it, it will be worth it. It tastes amazing, but don’t open it. Leave it for your grandchildren.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nationwide charity, supporting whānau, families, and communities to help our young people thrive. Its aim is to make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth through professionally supported, mentoring relationships.
Pic’s will also be donating $50,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters New Zealand as a result of its special label jars, currently for sale around the country.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters NZ love Pic’s Peanut Butter – I mean we really love their peanut butter,” says Big Brothers Big Sisters NZ chief executive, Drew Ewan.
"We also feel very aligned with them. Pic’s produce quality products that improve the lives of New Zealanders, and we at Big Brothers Big Sisters NZ provide a quality programme that improves the lives of young people and ignites their potential – and the assistance from Pic’s Peanut Butter helps us do more of this."
Pic’s Peanut Butter, Plant & Food Research, and Northland Inc. are planning considerably expanded peanut growing trials for the 2022-2023 season.
“I’ve always been keen to use peanuts grown here in our peanut butter. It’s an exciting step to see this first crop in the jar,” says Pic.
Click here to bid on the TradeMe.
