Planters® Celebrates 100 Years of Fresh Taste
Peanut Pioneer Celebrates Centennial with Year’s Worth of "Fresh-tivities"
EAST HANOVER, NJ - January 17, 2006 -- One hundred years ago, Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici "cracked the nut" on how to deliver fresh-tasting peanuts when he established Planters, known today as America’s grandest nut company. This year, Planters marks 100 years of history, heritage and delivering consistently fresh-tasting nuts with a year-long Anniversary celebration.
"Planters has been a staple of American culture for more than a century and we’re very proud to celebrate this important milestone in our history," says Heath Osburn, senior brand manager, Planters. "We’re inviting America to join us for a year full of fun, fresh, exciting activities."
There’s no one better suited to lead the festivities than the Planters icon himself, Mr. Peanut®. The loveable legume will ask America to vote on a fresh piece of "anniversary attire": a pocket watch, bow tie, cufflinks (or, of course, leave him as is!). Additionally, the famed Nut Mobile will tour the country from May to September, visiting cities of historical significance to Planters as well as the nation’s most popular fairs and festivals. Tour activities will include distributing fresh roasted peanuts, taking visitors on an interactive journey down memory lane and celebrating moments and milestones throughout the last 100 years.
The Peanut Pioneer
Amedeo Obici, an Italian immigrant, came to America in the late 1800s with nothing but a dream. While working for his uncle, who ran a fruit stand in Scranton, PA, he noticed a passerby eating peanuts and dropping the shells behind him. The image seeded the idea to sell fresh roasted peanuts and ultimately ignited a peanut empire.
Obici and his friend, Mario Peruzzi, set up two roasters in a $25-a-month factory space in Wilkes Barre, PA and established the "Planters Nut Company" in 1906. Over the next 40 years, Planters grew to a $60 million business with 5,000 employees.
Obici’s success has been credited to his commitment to delivering quality, fresh tasting peanuts. His business-savvy mind was always looking for innovative ways to keep his products fresh, from the original cellophane bag of the 1930s to today’s famous fresh seal packed cans, and "mixing" it up a bit with many offerings along the way. Today, Planters Famously Fresh packaged cans continue to carry out that mission, providing consumers with a portfolio of fresh-tasting nuts.
Mr. Peanut - An Icon of Freshness
Mr. Peanut has been the iconic symbol for Planters for 90 years. Originated in 1916 when Virginia schoolboy Antonio Gentile entered and won an art contest to design a Planters symbol, a commercial artist later added a top hat, monocle, cane and gloves to help make Mr. Peanut the dapper nut he is today.
Of course, even the most fashionable figures search for new ways to keep their look fresh, which is why Planters is inviting America to choose what Mr. Peanut should wear next - a bow-tie, pocket watch or cufflinks. Votes can be cast by visiting the Fresh-tennial website at Planters.com. The winning image will be unveiled in November 2006.
Nut Mobile Hits the Road
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary, the Planters Nut Mobile will embark on a four-month, cross-country road trip visiting landmarks in Planters history, as well as some of the nation’s most premiere fairs and festivals. Visitors will get to meet Mr. Peanut, vote on what he will wear next, smell the aroma of fresh roasted peanuts and taste them straight from the roaster, and view Planters and Mr. Peanut collectibles from over the years. In addition, guests will be able to take an interactive journey down memory lane, using green screen technology to put themselves in moments and events throughout Planters and American history over the last century. The tour hits the road in late May 2006 and will cruise across the country through September. To learn more about the tour and its stops, visit the Fresh-tennial Web site at Planters.com.
Nostalgic Cocktail Peanuts Collector Series
The Planters journey down memory lane will extend to supermarket shelves in 2006 via a 100th Anniversary Nostalgic Collector series of Cocktail Peanuts. The series celebrates four moments in American culture including: "Boardwalk," "Baseball," "Circus" and "Times Square," and the unique role peanuts played in making them memories worth celebrating.
The cans were designed by nationally established artists, commissioned by Planters for this special anniversary.
Unveiling a Lasting Memory in Atlantic City
In July 2006, Planters will dedicate a life-sized Mr. Peanut statue to Atlantic City. The sculpture will greet visitors from a perch on a boardwalk bench in Kennedy Plaza, near the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority. In addition, a stretch of the famed boardwalk will be re-named "Planters Way."
Planters Today
Over the past century, Planters has become an American icon and built a reputation for delivering consistently fresh-tasting nuts. Today, the Planters portfolio includes many different product offerings, from cocktail peanuts and jumbo cashews, to unique mixes like NUT·rition™ Heart Healthy Mix, designed to meet today’s nutritional needs. Many of Planters products qualify to carry Kraft’s Sensible Solution flag, which indicates that these products meet specific "better-for-you" nutrition criteria on a per serving basis.
Planters is the flagship brand for the Salted Snacks Category of Kraft Foods Inc., the largest branded food and beverage company in the United States and second largest in the world. Kraft Foods markets many of the world's leading food brands, including Kraft cheese, Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees, Nabisco cookies and crackers, Philadelphia cream cheese, Oscar Mayer meats, Post cereals and Milka chocolates, in more than 155 countries.
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Contact:
Michelle Zmuda
Weber Shandwick
312-988-2057
mzmuda@webershandwick.com
Laurie Guzzinati
Kraft Foods, Inc.
973-503-4671
Laurie.Guzzinati@kraft.com