Georgia Peanut Tour highlights nonprofit’s global food aid, port logistics

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Georgia is the top peanut-producing state in the country, generating more than $600 million a year in revenue. The 38th annual tour concluded Thursday with stops in the Coastal Empire, including a nonprofit food production facility in Pooler and the Georgia Ports Authority in Savannah.

Nonprofit turns peanuts into aid for starving children

The tour’s stop in Pooler featured MANA, a nonprofit organization that produces nutrient- and vitamin-rich peanut butter pouches for starving children in developing countries.

Don Koehler, with DEK Strategic Services, said the organization has had an impact beyond the children it feeds.

“So not only did manna come in and start feeding hungry children but they provided jobs for folks in rural communities that were struggling right now,” Koehler said.

Allen Galbraith, MANA’s director of operations, said the product’s sugar content serves a purpose for malnourished children.

“They don’t have the same feelings of hunger like a normal child would, so they won’t eat it and it doesn’t taste good. So the sugar gives them that taste, and it also gives them a jolt of energy to be able to process the other nutrients that are in the product,” Galbraith said.

The organization shared a video of feeding hospitals showing the impact of the product on children. Galbraith said staff members who travel to see the work firsthand are affected by what they see.

“Nobody’s ever come back from that trip the same. They’ve always come back with a whole different mindset, and you can tell it hit them hard,” Galbraith said.

MANA’s new facility in Pooler is still under construction. Once complete, the organization is hoping to double its production.

“The need is not going away. We want it to. That’s our goal, work ourselves out of a job, but we’re not there yet,” Galbraith said.

Peanuts’ path through the Georgia Ports Authority

After the stop in Pooler, the tour group received a behind-the-scenes look at the Georgia Ports Authority, where peanuts leave Savannah for export.

Brian Wood, a conference speaker, described the transportation process and its costs.

“Everything has to be hauled by truck, from point A to point B and then to point C in most cases, then somewhere else, and so that consumes fuel, and every time we move it, depending on that, that’s more cost that’s going into that product,” Wood said.

Conference leaders also addressed trends farmers are currently facing, including high diesel prices, and discussed future products harvesters can look forward to.

The conference concluded its stop in the Coastal Empire. Next year’s conference location has not yet been determined.