Van goes nuts for 50 years
THE Kingaroy Peanut Van has come a long way since it was a struggling business sold for just $100 in 1977.
Now, 42 years later, the van is celebrating its 50th year in business, with owners Rob and Chris Patch celebrating 20 years at the helm.
“Ruth Davis, who owned it before us, was going to shut down because she couldn’t find anyone as passionate about Australian peanuts as she was,” Mr Patch, a peanut farmer, said.
“After the droughts in 1999 we thought we should get into something other than farming and the rest is history.”
The 63-year-old said local knowledge was a big part of their success.
“It’s important to tell the customers about the locally grown nuts,” Mr Patch said.
“It gets us talking because most city folk and tourists don’t know that peanuts are grown underground, or that they’re closely related to potatoes.
“We get return customers because we make that connection and have a few laughs, it’s really important to us.”
The Peanut Van has stood in the same location on Kingaroy St for 50 years. A second van is now open at Childers and the vans regularly appear at weekend markets.
Mr Patch said the van was known all over the world.
“My friend was on top of The Eiffel Tower … when he said he was from Kingaroy, the person said, ‘oh the Peanut Van place’,” he said. “We love hearing those stories and look forward to many more years in business.”