Crumptons Kingaroy to keep peanut legacy alive as PCA faces closure
As one chapter of the Australian peanut industry story faces uncertainty with the announcement of the closure of the Kingaroy Bega facility, the Crumpton family is helping write the next.
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While the future of Kingaroy’s iconic peanut silos remains uncertain, one longstanding, family-run business is helping ensure the region’s identity stays firmly rooted in the peanut industry — and they have no plans to go anywhere.
Earlier this month, Bega announced it would close down its Peanut Company of Australia factories in the South Burnett and Tolga, near Cairns, following a year-long review of the subsidiary.
Reports on the closure said it would be done in stages over the next 18 months, unless a buyer could be found during that time.
The peanut industry in Australia is reportedly facing a combination of problems, including increased competition from imports, stronger returns for growers from other crops, high input costs, and declining production.
While PCA operates out of the distinctive concrete silos in the centre of South Burnett’s most populous town, they are not the only peanut processor in the region.
Family owned and operated Crumptons & Sons have serviced Queensland peanut growers for more than 60 years.
The business was started by Glenn and Olga Crumpton, and their sons, John and Robert.
Six decades and millions of peanuts later, Crumptons is still a family run business, with Sonie and his brother Darren the third succession of the family to take the helm.
The next generation isn’t far behind, with their children already working for the business on holidays and in between their studies.
Sonie Crumpton said the very first processing facility looked a little different to the modern-day operation, which includes a research arm to develop improved peanut varieties, and began out of a railway shed at Crawford.
“It was a lot different back then. It would have been done in small (hessian) bags,” he said.
According to their website, Crumptons is the only family-run business in Australia that can 100 percent complete the entire peanut supply chain — from planting and harvesting to shelling, grading, and blanching — entirely within the family.
The peanut industry has long been a vital part of both the economy and spirit of the South Burnett, forming a core part of its identity.
The Big Peanut stands proudly in the centre of Kingaroy, while the iconic peanut silos remain a defining feature of the town’s skyline.
Crumptons operations manager Daniel Cook said the red soil in the South Burnett was key to the success of the local peanut industry.
“The conditions here are ideal for growing peanuts,” he said.
“It’s got the nice red soil.
“Probably the soil is the main criteria because peanuts grow in the ground and you’ve got to be able to pull them out of the ground.
“Some of the traditional grain areas, like the Darling Downs, have heavy clay soil. So you can grow them, but you can’t harvest them.”
Crumptons processes around 10,000 tonnes of peanuts each season, sourced from 50 to 60 growers, with PCA reportedly processing around 19,000 tonnes of Australian-grown peanuts in 2024 at their Tolga and Kingaroy facilities.
Mr Crumpton said while he believes their facility has the capacity to process the entire crop of peanuts grown in the region, the problem comes with finding buyers for the finished product as pricing was “quite poor at the moment”.
“I’m just struggling to sell the peanuts at the moment because of the imported prices,“ he said.
“So customers are asking me to come back (on price) because (the imported) prices have come back.
“It’s just difficult at the moment but I’m sure that will change moving forward.”
Mr Crumpton highlighted the shift in Australia’s peanut industry over the past several decades and said the majority of peanuts consumed in the country were now imported, compared to 30 years ago, when the majority of peanuts consumed in Australia were domestically grown and processed.
“(Back then) there were less people and we were growing and producing more peanuts,” he said.
“But today, Australia has a larger population and we’re growing and producing less peanuts.”
Since the news of the factory closure broke, peanut sellers in the South Burnett have been inundated with queries from shoppers who were worried about the landmark stores closing.
However, The Peanut Van, which operates locations in Kingaroy and Childers, and the Nanango Peanut Wagon all source their products from Crumptons.
In a Facebook post on July 13, The Peanut Van assured their customers they would not be affected by the closure of PCA and they were here to stay.
“We are a proudly independent business that has been serving 100 percent Kingaroy-grown peanuts, thanks to Crumptons Kingaroy - and we’re not going anywhere,” the post read.
“Our commitment to quality, local produce, and friendly service remains as strong as ever.
“We look forward to continuing to share our delicious peanuts with you for many years to come.”
The South Burnett Regional Council appears to be actively involved in ongoing efforts to secure the future of the facility and to preserve the heritage-listed silos in Kingaroy.
In a post on Facebook earlier this week, councillor Ros Heit shared that the council had a “productive meeting with a potential buyer and supportive growers for PCA”.
“We are doing all we can to ensure this valuable business continues,” she wrote.
Mayor Kathy Duff expressed cautious optimism for the future of the heritage-listed silos in Kingaroy, and said Bega was considering all possible offers.
“Bega have indicated to me that all offers are on the table,“ she said.
“There has been a number of discussions that I am aware of around possible options but at this stage, I believe they are still only discussions.
“I hope and I know everyone is hopeful that something positive will happen as no-one wants to see the heritage listed silos in the middle of Kingaroy with no activity or industry around them.”
If a buyer cannot be secured, the PCA facility in Kingaroy is set to close permanently by late 2026 — a significant loss for the region’s industry and heritage.
But for Crumptons, the closure won’t change much.
“Well, for us it’ll be business as usual,” Mr Crumpton said.
“We’ve been in the industry a very long time.
“We will still be able to service the needs of the local growers and there will still be Australian peanuts available for customers in Australia.”
As one chapter of the peanut industry faces uncertainty, Crumptons is helping write the next.
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Originally published as Crumptons Kingaroy to keep peanut legacy alive as PCA faces closure
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