Mark Hintlian, President of The Leavitt Corporation, is passionate about peanuts!

He is the third generation providing us with delicious Teddie peanut butters and a full line of mixed nuts under the River Queen label. The company was started by his grandfather, an Armenian immigrant, in 1924. He began working in the candy business with a cousin and the business evolved into candy, nuts, and peanut butter; and eventually just nuts and peanut butter. His father grew the business after World War II by adding private label peanut butter for supermarkets, and he instituted quality and food safety standards.

The commitment to quality is very strong today. The Leavitt Corporation is GFSI certified Level 3: Certified Supplier No. 100482 and Certified by Silliker Global Certification Services. They are very proud of their 97% product score, one of the highest in the industry.

What are your some of your product offerings?

The Leavitt Corporation produces the Teddie brand of peanut butter which is the market leader in the northeast. Our peanut butter products include Teddie Smooth, Teddie All Natural, Teddie with flaxseeds and Omega 3 for heart health, and Teddie Organic. We are currently developing a ‘no stir’ all natural peanut butter to meet market demand for convenience.

Peanuts are the foundation of our business, but we also offer a full line of mixed nuts, which includes oil roasted nuts in cans and jars with cashews, pistachios, and almonds, offered as salted, unsalted, and the popular honey roasted varieties.

“Our sales are growing and our business is healthy, as consumers recognize our high quality and great tasting products,” says Mark.

How much of your peanut products are branded vs. private label?

We offer about 50-50 branded vs. private label. Teddie peanut butter is the market leader in the northeast and we produce private label peanut butter for many national supermarket chains.

“We have a proud heritage of quality, integrity, service and GMP’s – good management practices,” says Mark. “We are northeast-based and recognized throughout the industry as leaders offering premier quality branded and private label peanut butter and peanut products, as well as mixed nuts.

“We are all passionate about our business and the peanut industry. We offer a strong, solid, and dedicated management team. Our employees have worked for The Leavitt Corporation for 10, 20 30 up to 50 years. “We are a wonderful company to do business with!”

How active is the company in the export market?

The Leavitt Corporation is an active exporter and has been exporting for many years. It is challenging and fascinating to learn about all the different markets. We are active in the EU, Asia, and South America. Currently, “we are selling a lot of Teddie peanut butter in Russia, which is a new market for us, and we are also experiencing strong sales of River Queen mixed nuts in other major international markets.”

Export markets are an area of growth because of the strong demand for quality USA peanut butter and peanuts.

“As the world becomes globally more unified, American products become more popular,” says Mark. “We do see continued growth in international markets for us and for the entire U.S. peanut industry, as well.”

What are some of the biggest challenges facing the peanut industry today?

Certainly, the biggest challenge right now is the volatility in peanut pricing and supply.

The supply issue is a major challenge, forcing the industry to raise prices which is ultimately reflected in higher retail prices for the consumer. The weather seems to be changing and affecting crop yields, quality, and supply.

Nevertheless, peanut butter and peanut products are a healthy food and a staple in the American diet. Demand for this product should remain healthy and strong.

Another challenging area is food safety. The FDA views peanuts as high risk due to salmonella issues. At the Leavitt Corporation, we have embraced food safety and we are confident that most of the industry is already on board with third party certification and the rest of the industry is getting caught up. This is all good for the industry because the consumer has to be confident in the product.

What types of peanuts do you use?

We use all major grades of peanuts in our peanut butter and peanut products. All of our peanuts are grown and harvested in the USA. We believe the USA crop is superior in quality, availability, and flavor profiles. We support the USA farmer and proudly put the USA-grown symbol on all of our labels, which is important for the consumer. We research consumer trends online since there is significant amount of traffic on what consumers value in their peanut butter and peanut products. We pay close attention to that and develop our products to meet consumer demands of a superior, healthy, and great tasting product!

The Leavitt Corporation is a proud member of the American Peanut Council.

The Leavitt Corporation
100 Santilli Highway
Everett, MA 02149
Telephone: 617.389.2600
Fax: 617.387.9085
e-mail:contact@teddie.com
website: www.teddie.com