Melissa Wallace, 51, Craft Beer Snack Mogul
Beer and peanuts just go together.
Melissa Wallace, 51, loved the craft beer scene and wanted in. After going through the Launch Lab, in 2014, she started her business,
Hops and Nuts, with the intent of providing top quality peanut snacks to pair with craft beers.
“There are breweries here, in North Carolina and throughout the South that are brewing amazing things and they have embraced us. We are thrilled to be part of that craft beer culture. Our goal is to enhance the experience of craft beer.”
Hops and Nuts has identified the major genres within Craft Beer and have created a healthy snack that compliments those flavors. The peanuts are all farm fresh extra-large North Carolina redskin peanuts and coated with their signature craft beer flavors using local source ingredients when possible. The company offers seven peanut flavors including Lager-N-Lime, Toasted Amber, Peppa Nut, Beer Salt Roasted, Shuga Heff Nuts, Shuga Hop Double IPA and Chocolate Porter.
“I am always thinking and looking for opportunities to seize. That’s the fun part. There’s always another brewer that is doing something new and unique and we get to create something that compliments what the brewer intended.”
In addition to peanuts, Wallace will soon be launching BREWZELS, craft beer flavored pretzels. Wine and cocktail enthusiasts aren’t left out either with a new product line offshoot called The Tasty Nut, a premium Bar Cart product. The Tasty Nut Savree Herb goes with a white wine and cocktails, while the Vineyard Red pairs well with any red wine.
“Our business is very family centric. My Mom raised my Sister & I to always support each other, follow our passions and never fear failure. With the help of my Wife, friends and family, we’ve created a successful business that we love.”
Hops and Nuts is not just a prized snack in Greensboro. It was nominated for Garden and Gun Magazine’s “Made in the South” awards as well as recognition from Southern Living Magazine. Hops and Nuts products are currently sold in breweries, bottle and growler shops, wineries and specialty retailers in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.
