The peanut plant probably originated in Brazil or Peru, although no fossil records exist to prove this. Peanuts were grown as far north as Mexico by the time the Spanish began their exploration of the New World (North American continent). The explorers took peanuts back to Spain, where they are still grown today. From Spain, traders and explorers took peanuts to Africa and Asia. Africans were the first people to introduce peanuts to North America. Around l90O, equipment was invented for planting, cultivating, harvesting, and picking peanuts from the plants, and for shelling and cleaning the kernels. With thee mechanical aids, peanuts rapidly came into demand for oil, roasted and salted nuts, peanut butter, and candy. George Washington Carver began his research into peanuts in 1903 at Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, USA.

He discovered improvements in horticulture and developed more than 300 uses for peanuts. For his work in promoting cultivation and consumption of peanuts, Dr. Carver is known as Father of the Peanut Industry. (National Peanut Council, USA).