Virginia Diner has been a legend in the nut industry since the 1920s, So the company’s return to the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show didn’t go unnoticed, especially with its ever-growing selection of collegiate Game Day snacks.
According to Scott Stephens, Game Day products are more a gift product than a snack. And Virginia Diner has put a larger emphasis on market reach with cans that are emblazoned with school logos. He adds that they retail for a surprisingly reasonable $5.99 a can. New Game Day retail gift packaging—which encompasses three cans stacked one atop the other—has been drawing attention from fan-shop buyers, many of whom raved about Virginia Diner in Las Vegas.
Stephens says his best-selling team is nearby Virginia Tech; the company moves about a quarter-million units of Hokie Nuts a year. Virginia Diner typically sees a surge of sales when teams like Nebraska, Florida State or Ohio State are doing well.
“Our best selling product is salted peanuts,” adds Stephens. “Except for LSU, where it’s Cajun nuts, of course.”