By Lindsay Stevens
The National Peanut Board launched three groundbreaking initiatives this fall, exploring new territory with its Health Nut College Tour, Peanut Campus Ambassador Program and Health Nut Club online community.
Peanuts Head to College
This fall the National Peanut Board met Generation Z where they are, on campus, with its first Health Nut Club College Tour. The tour aimed to meet Gen Z’s unique lifestyle needs and values while providing a community that resonates with their desire for health and wellness.
The board showed how peanuts fit into students’ wellness routines with a two-day experience at six universities across the South: Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia, Clemson, North Carolina State and Florida.
Day one educated and inspired students to fuel up with peanuts to fit their on-the-go lifestyles. Day two focused on recovery and sustainable snacking, featuring the Fuel Zone, which challenged students to see how they stacked up against other colleges on a live leaderboard. Each day offered free custom merchandise, prizes and a custom food truck led by Chef Lisa from the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race,” featuring three special peanutty menu items: the Peanut Butter Glow Up Crepe, the Peanut Butter Power Up Smoothie and the Peanut Butter Crunch Up Sandwich.
First Class of Peanut Campus Ambassadors
The National Peanut Board also hired its first class of Peanut Campus Ambassadors at the six universities visited on tour, with plans to expand in 2026. These enthusiastic student leaders display strong opinions on creamy versus crunchy peanut butter and aim to make campus “Peanut Better.”
Introducing the first class of Peanut Campus Ambassadors:
Kellyn Brisendine, University of Georgia
Zach Servello, University of Florida
Kinsey Winters, Texas A&M University
Macy Moates, Clemson University
Cloie Peters, Auburn University
Katelyn Medlin, North Carolina State University
The ambassadors helped execute the college tour, mapped where peanuts are sold on campus and built contacts for ongoing relationships. In a nutshell, their goal is to get more people on campus enjoying and using more peanuts in more ways more often.
A Community of Health Nut Enthusiasts
In addition to the in-person tour, the National Peanut Board wanted to reach those not on campus but passionate about health, wellness and sustainability. For the first time, it offered a space to share tips, recipes and inspiration on the Health Nut Club Instagram Community. There, followers could learn more about wellness routines from college athletes and wellness influencers sharing their health nut tips.
By combining social media with the in-person tour, the Health Nut Club created a buzz and built a community that celebrates the many benefits of peanuts.