“One Shell of a Job”: All-Female NUTmobile Crew rolls through region 

CAVE CITY, Ky. (WNKY) – A giant peanut rolled through part of the region Monday, but it was the women behind the wheel who made the journey especially historic.

Courtney Donohue, Karissa Schmit and Christina Domingue are traveling the country as the first all-female crew of Planters Peanutters. The trio stopped in Cave City and Horse Cave as part of a yearlong tour aboard the 26-foot-long NUTmobile.

For the women, the opportunity started with an unusual job application.

Donohue, a journalism graduate, said she was figuring out her next step after college when she came across the position.

“I found this application and it was unlike any job I think any of us have seen,” Donohue said. “And I sent in my create a video for the application, and here we are.”

Schmit had recently graduated and was looking for work when a family member sent her the application.

“They said, I feel like this is something nutty that you would do,” Schmit said. “And sure enough, I applied and actually got the job.”

Domingue learned about the opportunity during a college visit to Texas Tech University, where she was a senior.

The women said finding out they would be the first all-female crew added another layer of excitement to getting the job.

“It was kind of like double the excitement, because every time I told people, it was like two great things to say for sure,” Schmit said.

The three women have spent the year traveling together, switching off driving duties and visiting communities across the country. They say the experience has brought them closer than typical coworkers.

“And it’s not like a normal coworker. I would say we’re more like family,” Domingue said. “Like, sometimes you fight like family. But really, in the end, you all get along and you love each other because you’re with each other 24, seven.”

Their travels have also given them a chance to meet people with different connections to Planters. The crew said children often get excited to see Mr. Peanut, while older fans sometimes share memories of Planters from their childhood.

Donohue said she has especially enjoyed seeing young girls express interest in becoming Peanutters themselves.

“I think that’s fun for them to see a group of girls doing that,” she said.

The crew’s yearlong tour began in June and is scheduled to end next June. Along the way, the women say they have gained more than experience traveling the country.

Schmit said the job has given her confidence that she can take on challenges outside her comfort zone.

“I feel like this job has taught me that I really can do anything,” Schmit said. “I’ve gained so much knowledge, so much just and honestly confidence like we can do it, we will do it.”

For now, the three continue their journey together, collecting memories and meeting people along the way.

“I think we find home in everywhere we are, but also in each other,” Donohue said.