The History of Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas were invented by Dr. Calvin Lamborn in 1979. Lamborn had been working to create a commercially viable snow pea with a smoother, straighter pod for years when he hit upon the modern sugar snap pea while working on his property, Magic Seed Farm, in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Notably, Lamborn also created many additional, unique varieties of sugar snap peas during his lifetime.) In the early 2000s, Lamborn and his son, Rod, met Chef Wylie Dufresne and were then connected with Sweet Berry Farms in upstate New York. Calvin Lamborn’s sugar snap peas were planted there and then distributed to top restaurants across the United States, including Chef Thomas Keller’s award-winning spots Per Se and The French Laundry, Dufresne’s WD-50, and more. Lamborn’s produce quickly caught on and after his passing in 2017, his son continued his work. Today, sugar snap peas are widely available and wildly popular throughout the U.S. as well as in many other parts of the world.