TownTalk: Monahan Talks Nuts, Chips And Popcorn
Snack lovers have an opportunity to grab a new brand of peanut from a couple with a long history in the industry.
Carol and John Monahan have launched 1949 Nut Co. and are teaming up with their son, Josh, and his 1in6 Snacks to get their yummy treats into the hands – and tummies – of peanut fans everywhere.
Carol Monahan talked with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk and said she and husband John are enjoying working for – and with – their son.
The 1949 Nut Co. will have a pop-up sale on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Josh’s 1in6 Snacks’ distribution center at 2725 Raleigh Road.
Featured will be the peanuts and popcorn, both of which come in a variety of flavors – from traditional and tame to wild and zesty, she said. The weekly pop-up store will continue on Wednesdays through Christmas at the Raleigh Road distribution center.
“Our family is super excited to continue our relationship with folks here in Vance County,” Carol Monahan said. She and her husband brought The Peanut Roaster to Henderson back in 1995, and the recent sale left them with some time on their hands. So they launched The 1949 Nut Co. as a nod to John’s father, Larry “Daddy-O” Monahan.
He’s the one who, in 1949, started cooking Virginia peanuts at his Wakefield, VA restaurant. But because he first soaked them in water, they didn’t absorb the oil they were fried in. They’re using the same technique to create these peanuts, she said. “Folks just love it, and we’re glad that they do.”
The popcorn gift packs feature five flavors – butter, cinnamon, dill pickle, Buffalo and light and fit – and will be available at the Wednesday pop-up event, she said.
If you’ve ever purchased the Carolina Kettle brand of potato chip, you’ve purchased a product created by Josh Monahan. He was a junior studying agriculture at N.C. State University when he learned that one in six people didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. The 2017 N.C. State graduate donates money to the Food Bank of North Carolina for every bag sold – a nickel for a small bag and a dime for a large bag, his mom said. So far, that number is $150,000. And climbing. He’s one of the food bank’s largest donors.
Josh grew up in the peanut industry, helping his parents after school and during the summer. “He wanted to stay in that (ag) field,” she said, “but he wanted to look around and see what was going on around him.” He also wanted to make a difference, she said. And 1in6 Snacks was born. The chips came first, followed by Pine State Popcorn. There are other products in the 1in6 line, but the pop-up store will concentrate on the peanuts and popcorn.
She and her husband are “very, very proud” of their son’s success thus far. And when they ended their association with The Peanut Roaster back in July, they decided that they would put their product line under the 1in6 umbrella.
“We’re putting a great local product out here in Vance County and the surrounding area,” she said. One can of peanuts at the time.
Visit 1949nut.com.
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