Most people reading this will know that large parts of Queensland have been suffering from drought conditions for some time now.
These conditions have directly affected the peanut growing region around Kingaroy in south-east Queensland. The 2019/20 season was so bad for our farmers that, according to our supplier (Crumpton), the crop this year is less than 10% of what they would get in a normal year.
This means that there is a severe shortage of Australian peanuts this year. As a result, we will have to use a blend of 25% Australian and 75% imported peanuts in our peanut butter for the time being (the imported nuts are coming from Argentina and Brazil, as they provide the closest match in terms of flavour profile to our local product).
We are really hopeful that 2020/21 is a better season for our farmers and we can get back to using 100% Australian peanuts in our peanut butter once again!.
Interestingly, Australians consume more peanuts annually than our farmers can produce even in a good year, making our nation a net importer overall.
Despite that being the case, 99th Monkey will always prioritise Australian product when it is available. Achieving this can actually be quite competitive, but we have strong relationships with our suppliers, so we are confident that in years with decent rainfall we will be able to provide you with a 100% Australian product as we normally would.
