Sunland Peanut factory tour
It's pure Valencia peanuts and nothing else!
Visitors Are Always Welcome at Sunland Peanuts
We are located at 42593 US Highway 70, two miles east of Portales, New Mexico. Free tours are available upon request almost year-around and groups of all sizes are welcome. During harvest time (late fall to early winter, depending on the weather!) we are not always able to accommodate tours. To be sure, call ahead before you visit. Our retail store and plant are open 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.
About Us
Sunland, Inc. was formed in 1988 by a group of dedicated peanut farmers in Eastern New Mexico. Its mission has not changed since inception: to grow and market the naturally sweet and dense Valencia peanut unique to the area.
Our Customers helped us expand from our facilities in Portales, New Mexico, to establishments around the country and the world. We take great pride in every step of the process that brings Valencia peanuts to you! We also value and protect our farmers: the Organic and conventional peanut growers, who insure the quality and integrity of the Valencia peanut now and in the future.
What Makes Valencia Peanuts Unique
We call them nuts, but like all peanuts, Valencias are legumes, more closely related to peas and beans with one important difference: they grow beneath the ground.
Valencias are smaller, sweeter and have more intense flavor than other varieties of peanuts. They have three to five kernels in each shell and are grown almost exclusively in eastern New Mexico. In fact 90% of the Valencia peanuts produced in the US are grown within 120 miles of our plant. Portales claims the honor of being the "Valencia Peanut Basin of the Nation."
Farmers plant Valencia peanuts in May in the sandy soil of eastern New Mexico and west Texas. From a single peanut comes a beautiful plant which blooms in late August. Each blossom drops a "peg" which implants itself into the ground to grow a tasty Valencia peanut...more than 20 per plant.
Valencia peanuts love the sandy soil of the Portales valley and the surrounding high plains. After the peanuts are dug in the fall, they dry naturally in the sunny autumn days which are unique to the area. It's a climate that is vital for the Valencia- a time for the peanuts to be "kissed by the sun" before they're gathered for processing.
After a few days of drying time under clear New Mexico skies, they're gathered and brought to Sunland, Inc., for the first cleaning and more time drying in the trailers.
Peanuts are sorted for a variety of uses at the plant. They may end up shelled, roasted, salted or crushed for oil.
The peanuts destined for New Mexico's only peanut butter plant are shelled and roasted, and most of the red skins removed. Then the peanuts go through several crushing and mixing areas. Not a single additive is put into the old-fashioned peanut butter we make at Sunland.
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