#RealPeopleRealNuts

Bringing stories and insight from the U.S. and the world’s most productive peanut and tree nut farming and manufacturing communities, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts is committed to its people. Coma survival, the everyday struggle of a farmer’s wife, and the process of adopting four siblings are just a few of the journeys these men and women have undergone. Follow their stories with us.

A Heart for Others

Compassionate, dedicated, and warm-hearted, Catherine Bogdan shares how her own experiences have helped her connect with breast cancer survivors and how that’s shaped her perspective on corporate social responsibility.

Back to The Source

What does it take to be one of the world’s most successful snack food brands? For Pepsico, success starts in the earth. Through story hunting in Real People Real Nuts, we’ve gained insight into what the businesses that source from us care about.

The Life of Walter

The value of institutional memory is personified in our employee Walter Barrionuevo. He’s been with us since he was 19, through thick and thin, and his steadfastness is a beautiful inspiration to us.

Los Dos Amigos

Goofy, hard working, and good natured, farmers Marcos and Enrique have a lot in common beyond their profession. Their lifelong friendship began with their fathers, and was forged in the peanut fields.

Something You Can’t Fight

Like most teenagers, Schalk Fourie struggled with following in his father's footsteps as a peanut farmer or forging his own path. Schalk's decision took him back to blood, and it's been a true journey since then.

Peace of Mind

“We saw the enormous unmet need out there for food allergies” - Jeffrey Knapp, COO for Aimmune Therapeutics. Working against this phenomenon, we’ve partnered with Aimmune to provide them with peanut flour, a key ingredient in their new drug to treat people with peanut allergies. Aimmune is developing treatments to both protect people from life threatening allergic reactions and to help desensitize them to peanut allergens.

A Military Mindset

A former drill instructor in the Marines, a member of the presidential guard for presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, and now a competitive bodybuilder, Johnny Barnes takes our company commitment to health and wellness to a whole new level.

A Father’s Love

Gustavo Bustos has worked at Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts for the past 19 years, even through his daughter’s battle with cancer in 2012. His strength during that time is what makes him one of our most extraordinary employees. Watch other stories like his in our series #RealPeopleRealNuts.

The Privilege of Making Food

A man of deep convictions, South African farmer Keith Viljoen has faced drought, crop disease, and economic downturns as a peanut farmer. And yet, he still believes that “passion is success.” Keith’s story of faith, perseverance, and hope is a testament to the beauty of farming in our series #RealPeopleRealNuts.

Through Thick And Thin

Piet Van Niekirk became a third generation farmer when his father-in-law bought three plots in an auction and asked him to run them. He and his wife, Margaretha, then transitioned from working in the city of Pretoria to farming 105 hectares. Watch their story of resilience in our series, #RealPeopleRealNuts

On The Same Ground

“I always wanted to farm...farming is part of your life and I’m the third generation on the same ground,” - Dirkie McKenzie, pecan farmer, South Africa

Path to Progress

Alison Marquiss, with Aimmune Therapeutics, shares her story about discovering her son’s peanut allergy, and outlines his experience in an allergy trial. Watch their story in our series #RealPeopleRealNuts.

If You Believe

Meet Kgosi Baetsemang. After the death of his parents, he had no choice but to find a job at a very young age. He started out picking peanuts and then worked his way up to a supervisor. His story is proof that you can accomplish all things possible if you believe. For more inspirational stories from some of the world’s most productive peanut farming and manufacturing communities, follow our series #RealPeopleRealNuts.

74 Years Young

Our employee Jorge Guevara has some unique views on retirement… or lack thereof. Watch his story in our series #RealPeopleRealNuts.

TheBusiness of Farming

‘Before we were farmers we were entrepreneurs…’ Farmer Gabriel Compagnucci talks about how he balances the beauty of working the land and staying true to his calling with the need to make a profit.

The Gold Standard

A well-respected company in South Africa, Tiger Brands takes its commitment to quality and social responsibility seriously.

A Feminine Touch

‘A woman in a world of men…’ Gabriela shares her story on how she went from having no knowledge of peanuts to overseeing all of our raw products -- a position few women in the ag industry hold.

Peanuts Are In My Blood

Peanut farmer, Man from Plains, Nobel Prize winner, leader of the free world… Jimmy Carter’s list of names is long. But it all began in a small town in a rural area with a traditional family. In this story, Jimmy and his wife Rosalyn talk about how peanuts have shaped both their careers and their relationship.

The Wisdom Of Pieter Bester

Pieter Bester shares the qualities of many of our employees around the world: he’s brave, honest, and hardworking. He reminds us of the beauty of building something with your own hands.

Every Day As It Comes

Jannes Opperman says the soul of a farmer seeks to serve. He describes how hard work, family support, and the generations before him allow him to carry out his calling and “take every day as it comes.”

A Student Of Life

It’s hard to summarize the story of Gabriela Tomasini’s exceptional life journey. After leaving home at age 17 and spending years as an agricultural product broker in Buenos Aires, she’s now writing, dancing, and exploring the fundamental questions behind human existence.

Feeding The Nation

From Ghana to South Africa, RCL Foods is a leading food producer in Africa with a heart for its people. We’re proud to supply them the peanuts they need to make high quality peanut butter! Watch this story and learn more about a brand that emphasizes quality products as much as quality service.

Nestor the Fireman

Our employee Nestor Carrizo’s light hearted demeanor is contagious. But behind his easy laugh is a deep desire to help others, leading him to become a volunteer firefighter in his community in Argentina.

Where You Belong

‘We were all farm boys,’ said Cornelius Alwynfourae about his experience growing up as a farmer. His wisdom now as an adult has come hard won: learning to work with family in a stressful business and surviving the worst drought in South African history.

Love Is Like A Peanut Plant

Hugo Jimenez nurtures his relationships with his wife and his sister just like he cares for his peanut crops -- with persistent care and love.

Straight To Your Soul

Bad weather, rising costs of labor, and changing consumer demands are just a few of the stresses Kelly Hughes deals with year after year as a farmer in West Texas. But when the demands of a farmer’s life are too overwhelming, Kelly Hughes hops in his tiny airplane or on the back of a horse.

A Family Legacy

At Golden, we work with some of the most dedicated and dynamic brands in the agricultural industry. CPC Commodities, a livestock feed producer that uses peanut hulls as a key ingredient, is no exception.

Make It Or Lose It

Joey Collins was helping harvest pecans with his dad before he was old enough to go to school. Over the years, he’s built his business Collins Pecans, Inc. nut by nut. He says he got his education ‘in the fields in the summer and in the pecan trees in the winter.

La Familia Ghirardotto

Come with us to Argentina and meet the Ghirardotto family… They’re resilient, funny, and committed to a long legacy of peanut farming. #RealPeopleRealNuts

The Bait And Switch

Donald Chase’s family farm is as much a part of his spirit as anything else. But he’s learned that maintaining a connection to the land and sustaining its profitability require sacrifice.

Of Fathers Sons and Pecans

The Harrell Nut Company has transformed from a small family business into a fully integrated part of Golden’s family. At the heart of this story is a relationship between a father and son, their struggles, and their belief in the timeless value of hard work.

A Mother To Golden South Africa

Ilze Viljoen faced an uphill battle when she took on the role of safety manager for Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts in South Africa. Implementing safety measures in a place where those standards aren’t widely practiced was a big challenge, but as she says, Ilze’s a go getter.

The Chosen One

As a kid, Johannes Wana raised money to pay for his own school uniform. Now a Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts employee in South Africa, he dreams of opening a school for kids like him.

Steward of the Land

For farmer Marty McLendon, producing a profitable crop and taking care of the earth that his peanuts and cotton grow in go hand in hand. He worked with agricultural engineers to develop a sustainable irrigation system to water his land that is now used and manufactured all over the world.

My Perfect Storm

After surviving a coma, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts employee Matt Miller had to start over from the ground up, learning how to cope with a brain injury and navigate school at an age when he expected to be well on his way in a career as a scientist.

Money Grows On Trees

South African farmer Frikkie Nel’s plan to pay for his health care bills and retirement? Growing pecans.

Not for Sissies

Lori Jordan has worked with Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts for 33 years – and she’s learned a thing or two. As a woman in a leadership position in the agricultural industry, her experience has been unique.

Like Father Like Son

Clint White’s great-great grandfather settled in Northern Texas in 1890. Several generations later, Clint and his son Colby are still working the land. But they’ve put their own spin on it: hog training.

The Crazy Eight

Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts employee Brandon Harrell talks about the everyday triumphs and travails of raising four adopted brothers and two teenage daughters.

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