By Clint Thompson
The winner of the Georgia Peanut Product Innovation award was presented during the final day of the Sunbelt Ag Expo on Thursday.
Rusty Bowers, owner of Pine Street Market in Avondale Estates, received a $10,000 prize check from the Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC). His entry was the Georgia Peanut Potlikker Sausage, featuring local chicken, peanuts and collard greens.
The Innovation Award contest was created by the Georgia Peanut Commission. GPC Chair Donald Chase talked about the award, which recognizes the food-related concept that best presents peanuts in a unique way.
“It didn’t have to necessarily be a food item, but we just said, using peanuts in a new manner that we could expand the market,” Chase said. “I mean that’s really our focus at the Peanut Commission right now is we need to do everything we can to build markets. Then our farmers can depend on maybe the market for their margins.
“Long term, I think this is something that we have to be focused on is how do we develop the market for Georgia peanuts. We know our product, we know our story, we know our sustainability. All of these things are really great things. We know the nutrition. How do we do that in a way that grabs people’s attention and innovative products in my way of thinking is a great tool.”
Chase talked about what made Bowers’ product stand out among the rest of the entries.
“Obviously, the taste and everything and the fact that we are using another Georgia partner product, and I suspect the collard greens came from Georgia as well,” Chase said. “There were other fascinating products. It was a difficult choice.”