Mr. Peanut is back in the peanut butter game, baby.
After an absence of 30+ years, the Planters brand, now owned by Kraft Foods, is once again on supermarket shelves in peanut butter form, standing shoulder to shoulder with Jif, Peter Pan, Smucker’s, Skippy and all the rest. New Planters Peanut Butter is available in both creamy and crunchy.
Reportedly, Kraft decided to re-enter the category because peanut butter has become more of an adult food in recent years. Studies show that grownups now account for about 2/3 of the peanut butter consumption in the U.S., and Planters peanuts and other nut snacks have long been targeted primarily to adult consumers.
Chef Samuelsson’s Planters PB Recipes
Signaling the adult attitude toward its new peanut butter entry, Kraft tapped celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson (photo: right) to kick off the launch of Planters Peanut Butter with a trio of new recipes. You can find those recipes right here on The Food Channel.
Chef Samuelsson created recipes for:
The Planters brand created a new character to act as spokesman for its new peanut butter. He’s the brother of Mr. Peanut, and goes by the name Peanut Butter Doug. PB Doug bears a strong resemblance to Mr. Peanut but sports a goatee and sunglasses. In TV commercials, Peanut Butter Doug claims to be Mr. Peanut’s stunt double. If you haven’t seen the spot on TV, you can view it below.
We’ve tried the crunchy, and it is very good, loaded with generous chunks of…well, I would guess, Planters peanuts. If you get a chance to try it, let us know what you think.
