Our Story
Rooted here since 1979.
Ontario's first family of peanut growers.
What began as one farmer's idea on a Norfolk County farm grew into Ontario's original peanut company, six Blue Barns and the snack Canada knows as Chip Nuts®.
Where it started
A new crop for sandy Ontario soil
In 1978, Jim Picard Sr. was looking for something new to grow on his farm near Simcoe, Ontario, in place of tobacco and other cash crops. On a trip to Georgia, the peanut capital of the world, he came across a small, busy peanut store on a rural road. The idea for a new crop, and a whole new business, was born.
Working with the University of Guelph's research farm in Delhi, he planted a small test field in 1979. The results were so good that Jim, together with a group that included his son Jim Picard Jr., opened Picard Peanuts. As Canada's first homegrown commercial peanut farm, it made national news.
Jim Picard Sr. in the peanut field.
Our Journey
1979
It's national news
Jim Picard Sr. plants Canada's first commercial peanut crop on the family farm in Norfolk County, and Picard Peanuts opens for business.
1980
The first Blue Barn
Our first store opens on Highway 24, north of Simcoe, and it is still a landmark for peanut lovers today. To keep it stocked with fresh peanuts, we open Canada's first commercial peanut shelling plant.
1982
Out of adversity, new flavours
An August ground frost badly damages the crop. Instead of slowing down, the family expands and starts creating new products: jumbo cocktail peanuts, barbecue peanuts and extra fancy Virginia redskins. As Jim Sr. put it, "If it has a peanut in it, there's nothing we can't make, and make it of the best quality."
1983
They want more
Customers ask for more, and the range grows into confectionery: peanut brittle, beer nuts and caramel corn.
1990
Next stop, Niagara
The village of Fonthill, just outside Niagara Falls, becomes home to our second store.
1991 to 1993
The story of Chip Nuts®
Another trip to Georgia inspires Jim Sr. to combine two great snacks: potato chips and peanuts. It takes 500 test batches and two years of perfecting the recipe, but Chip Nuts® are an instant hit and have been our best seller ever since.
1995
A formula for Cookie Nuts
We start working on something nobody had tried before: peanuts in a cookie coating.
2005 and 2008
A growing family
Two new Blue Barns open, in Morriston in 2005 and in Woodstock in 2008.
2012
Cookie Nuts are ready
Seventeen years after we started on the recipe, Cookie Nuts arrive and quickly become another Picard's original favourite. The same year, the family business splits into two companies, Picard Foods and Picard Peanuts, each committed to great confections and freshly roasted peanuts in its own way.
2013
The next generation, and The Candy Jar
Jim Picard Jr. takes over Picard Peanuts from his father, and the two keep working side by side. Every store opens The Candy Jar, a retro sweet shop full of favourites from back in the day.
2015 and 2018
Arva and Fort Erie
We open in Arva, north of London, in 2015, and in Fort Erie in 2018, bringing the family to six Blue Barns.
Today
Still family, still fresh
Owned and operated by Jim Picard Jr. and his family, Picard Peanuts makes over 150 products, from the original Chip Nuts® to jumbo cocktail peanuts, extra fancy Virginia redskins and Ontario-grown Valencia peanuts.
From the Family Album
Harvest days, opening days and the people behind the Blue Barns, from the Picard family's own photos.
Opening day, July 13, 1986 In the roasting room Bringing in the crop Christmas in the store Peanut Princesses at harvest Harvesting the field Cutting the ribbon Harvest day on the farm A crowd at the Blue Barn
In the News
The papers followed Canada's first commercial peanut crop from the day it went in the ground. These are the family's own cuttings; tap one to read it.
No amount of research will make an industry grow. It takes a businessman.
Harvesting of the first commercial crop of peanuts in Canada's history is going to start today.
A good deal of thanks must be directed to the government of Canada, the government of Ontario, and the initiative of Mr. James Picard and his family.
Family. Quality. Ontario. That's the Picard's way.
Our purpose has stayed simple since 1979: grow and sell the best possible fresh peanuts, and keep finding new ways to enjoy them.
Nothing pleases us more than customers going nuts for our nuts. Shop online, or stop by one of our six Blue Barns and say hello.
The Picard Family
Our mission
To provide happiness in every bag!
In a nutshell, we want to continue selling the best possible fresh peanuts. We also continually strive to research new and innovative products to expand the Picard Peanuts portfolio even further.
every bag
To continually adapt and respond to the wants, needs and desires of Canadian snackers for many years to come.
Our values
Passion
Devotion to our industry and product excellence.
Innovation
Always keeping one eye on our industry and trending products.
Customer First Approach
What makes you happy makes us happy too.
Responsibility
Stellar customer service and full transparency from order to delivery.
Respect
For our customers, colleagues, and the planet.
- Family OwnedSince 1979
- Ontario PeanutFarmers
- Home of OriginalChip Nuts®
- Six OntarioBlue Barns
