Peanuts are small. Their crisp shells are easy to hold in the palm of your hand. But for Hope & Harmony Farms, a fourth-generation family farm nestled in the town of Drewryville, Virginia, peanuts are a big deal.
“There are four types of peanuts, and the Virginia peanut is the largest of them all,” says Jeffrey Pope, one of three brothers who run the 1,300-acre farm. Also known as the “ballpark peanut,” this variety is the kind you typically find in a can of gourmet peanuts, thanks to its large kernel size and rich, buttery flavor. For generations, farming these peanuts has sustained the Pope family and their ancestors. “My grandfather and great-grandfather farmed this land,” Jeffrey says. “So, after I went off to college at Virginia Tech and got a degree in agriculture, I came back.” Jeffrey’s two brothers, Chris and Mark, also felt the call of the family business.
