Pic’s Peanut Butter has become a beloved pantry staple, appearing on supermarket shelves nationwide and winning fans across the country. During a recent trip to sunny Nelson, I visited Pic’s headquarters to learn more about the brand’s story and growth. Read to the end for details of an exciting giveaway.
Pic’s began humbly: in a garage with a concrete mixer and a determination to make better peanut butter than what was on the market. Mr Pic roasted peanuts in that concrete mixer and sold jars at farmers markets, where demand quickly grew. Encouraged by locals, production soon moved into an empty abattoir in Wakatu, expanding from around 40 jars a week to 1,000.
Today Pic’s operates several sites across the Stoke area for offices, production and storage, and is building Pic’s World while ramping up production. With expanded facilities, they now produce around 100,000 jars weekly, with daily capacity of 20,000–30,000 jars. Approximately 44% of production is exported, and international demand continues to grow.
Small-group tours of the factory can be arranged, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the process and the chance to grind your own fresh peanut butter.
Pic’s processes up to eight tonnes of peanuts per day to create their blends, using 99.5% Australian hi-oleic peanuts sourced from Kingaroy and just 0.5% salt. The core range includes Crunchy and Smooth in multiple sizes, plus Almond Butter, Cashew Butter, Peanut Oil and the new Boysenberry Jelly, which will be available soon. As the brand grows, the lineup and distribution continue to expand.
Readers’ Questions
Has Pic’s considered making a choc/hazelnut butter or other chocolate fusion spreads?
Pic’s philosophy is to keep the peanut butter simple and pure. As one devoted fan put it, you wouldn’t add sugar to “Unicorn Dust,” so why add extras to peanut butter? Pic prefers to offer a perfect base ingredient for whatever you want to create at home—sweet or savoury. While a chocolate peanut butter sounds tempting, the company’s chief peanut butter maker prefers to keep the product unadulterated. Chocolate lovers can easily make their own: melt dark chocolate with a teaspoon of coconut oil and stir it into peanut butter for an indulgent blend.
What large sizes are available in stores, and are bigger containers available to order?
A 1 kg tub is available in most supermarkets (smooth may be harder to find). Pic’s also produces 2.3 kg and 5 kg tubs for trade. These larger sizes are available at the factory shop in Nelson or through trade suppliers such as Trents or Gilmours.
At what temperature and for how long are the peanuts roasted to achieve the ideal flavour and colour?
Peanuts are roasted at around 150–160°C for 18–24 minutes. Timing varies with peanut size and seasonal differences in moisture and oil. The chief roaster monitors and tests each batch to ensure a consistent roast and flavour.
How many peanuts go into a jar of Crunchy and Smooth peanut butter?
A jar contains 988 peanut halves (excluding nibs and skins).
What is Pic’s favourite way to use peanut butter in baking or snacks?
Pic’s classic preference is crunchy peanut butter on toast, often topped with boysenberry jelly. He also enjoys peanut butter stuffed into dates for a simple, tasty snack.
Giveaway! – Closed
For peanut butter fans, two 1 kg jars of Crunchy Peanut Butter were offered as prizes: one for a website reader and another through Facebook, courtesy of Pic’s.
Two winners were chosen at random and notified by the stated closing date. Entry was open to New Zealand residents.
Good luck!
Winners Announced
Thank you to everyone who entered and shared their favourite uses for peanut butter. We received many delicious and creative ideas.
Congratulations to the winners:
Roxana Davies (via Facebook)
Libby Sutherland (website entry)
Please email postal details so prizes can be sent promptly: