Our History

R.L. (Robert) Cunningham, Sr. began shelling seed peanuts in 1942 in what was then known as the old mattress factory, located on Washington Street across the tracks from the railroad depot in Quitman, Georgia.  For sixteen years he shelled high quality seed peanuts, first at this location and later at the tobacco warehouse on Girard Street.



In 1958, Robert purchased five acres of land on the Barwick Road at the intersection of Bartow Street.  Here he expanded his operation to include a peanut buying point complete with dryers, drying wagons, and a two thousand ton warehouse.  Three years later Robert, along with his two sons Walter and Lawrence, incorporated R.L. Cunningham & Sons, Inc.  Their business grew through the 1960s and 1970s.  During these years they added another warehouse, several more dryers, and built a new peanut shelling plant.



In 1978, Lawrence's son Larry joined the firm.  The company continued to grow after Larry's arrival and he soon found himself as manager of the business under the ownership of his father and uncle.  Under their leadership, Larry led the company to even greater growth by adding another warehouse and upgrading the trailer fleet from 14ft wagons to 21ft wagons.


In the winter of 2007, Larry's son Chris entered the family business.  Today, R.L. Cunningham & Sons has storage for eight thousand tons of peanuts.  The operation now includes semi drying trailers and state of the art drying equipment.  A small grain cleaning and bagging facility serves area farmers with custom cleaning and storage.  Still, at the heart of the company is the peanut seed sheller.  2013 will mark seventy-two continuous years in the peanut seed shelling business.  R.L. Cunningham & Sons is proud of its heritage and is committed to its customers, the farmers of South Georgia and North Florida.  The company slogan "Quality Seed Since 1942" reflects both an appreciation for the past and a commitment to continued quality in the future.

2020 Crop Year Login

 

R.L. Cunningham & Sons, Inc.  |  PO Box 68 Quitman, GA 31643  |  Phone (229) 263-4791