I’m placing my first order today, for our first new vendor for the store. As we bring in new folks, I plan on letting everyone know what is coming and why we picked them so be prepared for lots of posts like this. But our first vendor is special beyond being a supplier of goods to us.
We’ve looked at farmers, sauce makers, etc. But the first question SWMBO asked herself when we decided to expand the store was, “What do I buy at the grocery store all the time.” The answer? Peanuts.
You see, I have an affliction. It’s not my fault, it came from my father. My father always had peanuts on hand. He ordered them special from Georgia I think. He gave them out as Christmas presents to his customers every year. He routinely, when walking through the kitchen, would grab a handful. When he ate ice cream, he’d dabble a few on top. He didn’t pour through them. He didn’t eat large quantities, but he always had a few here or there as a quick snack.
SWMBO can’t have bread in the house. Or potato chips. Or chocolate. They all call to her and she must obey. With me, it’s peanuts. Despite my protests that she quit buying them, she lovingly (and evilly) keeps the pantry stocked with peanuts for me.
So when it was time to look for something for the store, peanuts were the first thing she went for. In that search, she came across a very special place. 
Maybe we are the last people to hear about this place. Like most things of this nature, we tend to ignore it unless we have a loved one who is affected. But as we learned more we were very interested in helping the O’Berry Neuro-Medical Treatment Center.
They have limited production, as you would expect. They were worried we might ask for too much product. We won’t.
We were worried that some of their products weren’t as wholesome or natural as we’d normally carry. Some of the candied nuts have corn syrup in them (it’s how you make a candy shell). There was much debate over if this was acceptable.
In the end, we found that helping the O’Berry center in our tiny way was absolutely what we were going to do. Plus their peanuts are awesome so I’m happy. The kids, who also love peanuts, are happy. And the Mrs, who is watching my pants get snug, is happy.
I hope you are happy.
We don’t have an exclusive deal and we don’t want one. You can drive to Goldsboro and visit their gorgeous store. Maybe you’ll get to meet Shirley, who is our contact there. At 70 she has more energy than SWMBO and I combined and she is a delight to talk to. (Hi Shirley!) They have peanuts, snack mixes, pottery, crafts, soaps, and lotions. We are ordering a smattering of all of it for the store. It will all be priced at the same price they sell it for. It’s all made by the residents there, with lots of help from the professional staff.