Durham-Ellis Pecan

What Durham-Ellis Pecan does

Durham-Ellis Pecan Company is a family-owned pecan and nut processor and distributor headquartered in Comanche, Texas, with operational roots traceable to 1928 (Durham Pecan, founded by W.M. Durham, Sr.) and 1935 (Ellis Pecan, Fort Worth). In 1998 the two legacy businesses were combined by H.L. 'Odie' Dollins to form the current entity, which retains the Ellis sub-brand for grocery/cello distribution. The company operates a vertically integrated production stack on more than 165,000 square feet of facilities: an in-house pecan shelling plant, roasting and salting lines, in-house packaging services, cold storage, and recently added on-site canning operations.

The product portfolio spans shelled pecans in multiple cuts (halves, pieces, bits) as core SKUs, alongside almonds, walnuts, peanuts, mixes and snacks, candy/confection items (including a recently launched chocolate-covered line), sweets, low-sugar items, dried fruits and seeds, and packaged gift sets. Wholesale is primarily shipped in 30-pound corrugated boxes with flexible custom packaging (3-lb, 5-lb, 12-oz, 16-oz resealable). The grocery/cello sub-brand offers 23 SKUs in sizes from 2 oz to 16 oz, with a color-coded packaging system. The company holds Kosher certification on shelled pecans and GO TEXAN certification from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Durham-Ellis generates revenue through five channels: wholesale bulk nut sales to manufacturers, bakeries, food service distributors, ice cream producers, and restaurants across the US, Canada, and Mexico; grocery/cello distribution to supermarkets and distributors via 8 regional brokers; direct-to-consumer e-commerce through its own storefront plus a physical retail store in Comanche; full-service corporate gift programs with custom packing, card insertion, and shipping; and year-round fundraising programs for organizations. Pricing is quote-based for wholesale and varies by order volume, timing, and seasonal availability; grocery items are priced year-round with three seasonal promotions. The company remains under family ownership with no disclosed institutional capital and an 11-50 employee footprint, supported by a lean executive team (VP of Operations, Director of Sales, Director of Purchasing).

Name

Durham-Ellis Pecan

Legal name

Durham-Ellis Pecan Company

Website

https://durhampecan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Durham-Ellis Pecan Company is a family-owned Texas-based pecan and nut processor operating since 1928. It serves wholesale food manufacturers, grocery retailers, corporate gift buyers, and consumers via vertically integrated shelling, roasting, packaging, and distribution across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pecan and Nut Processing

NAICS

Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Bakery & Desserts Distribution (CRAOABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pastry, Cakes & Desserts Wholesale (AFAIAFAB)

Keywords

• Pecan processing
• Wholesale nut distribution
• Shelled pecan products
• Corporate gift nuts
• Grocery cello packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Nut Sales: Bulk wholesale of shelled pecans and other nuts to manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, bakeries, food service distributors, ice cream producers, and restaurants. Products primarily packaged in 30-pound corrugated boxes with custom options (3-lb, 5-lb boxes, 12-oz and 16-oz resealable zipper bags). Pricing is flexible and varies based on order volume, timing, and seasonal availability. Serves customers throughout United States, Canada, and Mexico.
2. Retail E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer sales through their website featuring pecans, gift items, nuts, candy, sweets, low sugar options, fruits & seeds, mixes & snacks. Customers can create accounts and place orders online.
3. Grocery/Cello Products: 23 different SKUs of grocery/cello packaged nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts) distributed to grocery stores, supermarkets, and distributors throughout Texas and other states. Includes private label products.
4. Corporate Gifts: Customized corporate gift programs for clients, customers, and co-workers. Company handles design, packing, insertion of business/holiday cards, and shipping throughout continental US. 100% satisfaction guarantee.
5. Fundraising Programs: Fundraising programs for organizations to sell nuts and fruits with competitive prices and financial incentives for high-volume sales. Minimum one case of same item required. Ships throughout the year, not limited to fall season.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Durham-Ellis Pecan Company processes, packages, and distributes pecans and other nuts from its facilities in Comanche, Texas. It sells shelled pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, candy, mixes, low-sugar treats, fruits and seeds, and gift items through wholesale bulk channels, grocery/cello retail SKUs, corporate gift programs, fundraising sales, an e-commerce storefront, and a physical retail store.

Product overview

Durham-Ellis Pecan Company is a pecan and nut processor and distributor based in Comanche, Texas, operating since 1928. The company offers a unified portfolio of nut products across multiple categories: Pecans (core product including gift items), Other Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts), Mixes & Snacks, Candy (chocolate-covered nuts), Sweets, Low Sugar products, Fruits & Seeds, and Gift Items. The Ellis sub-brand (acquired in 1998) handles grocery/cello products with 23 SKUs for supermarket distribution. Services include Corporate Gifts (custom packaging and fulfillment), a Fundraising Program for organizations, and Wholesale bulk distribution. The company processes and packages products using state-of-the-art equipment with cold storage facilities, serving grocery stores, manufacturers, bakeries, food service suppliers, and restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ellis Baking Nuts: Grocery/cello production and distribution division handling packaging of nuts for grocery stores, supermarkets, and distributors throughout Texas and other states. Offers 23 different SKUs with color-coordinated cello packaging (red for Pecans, green for Walnuts, blue for Almonds, yellow for Peanuts).
• Ellis Pecan Co.

Products and services

• Pecans Whole pecans and pecan products in various cuts and sizes sold to retail, wholesale, and gift customers.
• Other Nuts Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts sourced and processed for retail and wholesale distribution.
• Mixes & Snacks Pre-mixed nut combinations and snack products for retail and wholesale sale.
• Candy Chocolate-covered nuts and confectionery items including chocolate cashews, dark chocolate almonds with sea salt, dark chocolate banana chips, dark chocolate coconut macaroon almonds, dark chocolate coffee beans, red chocolate cherries, and white chocolate coconut almonds.
• Sweets Sweet nut-based treats and confectionery products.
• Low Sugar Treats Reduced-sugar and low-sugar nut products for health-conscious consumers.
• Fruits & Seeds Dried fruits, seeds, and fruit-based products complementary to nut offerings.
• Gift Items Packaged gift sets and gift boxes featuring nuts, pecans, and specialty food items for corporate and personal gifting.
• Ellis Grocery/Cello Products 23 SKUs of cello-packaged nuts including pecan halves, pieces, bits, English walnut pieces, natural sliced almonds, blanched slivered almonds, and Spanish raw peanuts in sizes from 2 oz to 16 oz, distributed to grocery stores and supermarkets with color-coordinated packaging.
• Wholesale Bulk Distribution Bulk nut products primarily in 30-pound corrugated boxes, with custom options (3-lb, 5-lb boxes, and 12-oz and 16-oz resealable zipper bags) serving manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, bakeries, food service distributors, ice cream producers, and restaurants across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
• Corporate Gifts Program Custom corporate gift program for clients, customers, and co-workers including gift selection, custom packaging, business/holiday card insertion, and shipping throughout the continental US with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
• Fundraising Program Fundraising program allowing organizations to sell nuts and fruits with competitive prices, financial incentives for high-volume sales, 100% satisfaction guarantee, and year-round shipping. Minimum one case per item required.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 8 Regional BrokerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe company uses 8 different reputable brokers representing their companies/products to monitor and cover their large distribution areas for retail coverage. These brokers help ensure distribution of grocery/cello products throughout Texas and other states.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kar's Nuts: Mid-market nut snack company with strong fundraising, trail-mix and gifting programs sold through retail, fundraising and corporate channels — directly mirroring Durham-Ellis's wholesale, gifting and fundraising GTM motions.
• Navarro Pecan Company: Family-owned Texas pecan grower, sheller and processor selling shelled pecans and pecan pieces to wholesale, foodservice and retail customers. Closest functional analog to Durham-Ellis on the grower-to-buyer side of the pecan value chain.
• Hines Nut Company: Wholesale nut distributor and repacker serving grocery, foodservice and fundraising accounts with mixed-nut, peanut and specialty nut SKUs. Direct competitor for the same cello/grocery and fundraising customer base.
• Stahmanns Pecans: Vertically integrated pecan grower and processor with in-shell and shelled pecan offerings sold to grocery, food service and wholesale customers. Comparable scale and vertical integration model to Durham-Ellis Pecan.
• Texas Pecan Company: Texas-based pecan sheller, processor and distributor operating in the same core category as Durham-Ellis with overlapping wholesale and grocery/cello channels across the Southern US. Direct competitor for bakery, food service and grocery nut programs.

Emerging players

• Sahale Snacks: Premium branded nut and trail-mix snack brand sold through grocery, club and DTC channels. Comparable product positioning (chocolate-covered nuts, premium gifting) but with a more developed digital marketing and DTC stack.

Broad incumbents

• Planters (Kraft Heinz): Iconic mass-market nut and snack brand owned by Kraft Heinz, distributed through virtually every US grocery and foodservice channel. Represents the dominant incumbent benchmark for shelf placement, broker relationships, and national DSD that Durham-Ellis competes against indirectly.
• Blue Diamond Growers: Large almond-focused cooperative and branded nut snack manufacturer with national grocery, foodservice, and ingredient distribution. Comparable vertically integrated grower-to-shelf model, even though almonds — not pecans — are the lead SKU.
• Fisher Nuts: Established branded nut manufacturer (pecans, walnuts, mixed nuts) sold through grocery retail and food service channels nationally. Larger incumbent competing for the same grocery/cello shelf space and bakery/foodservice accounts as Durham-Ellis.

Others

• Goldbelly: Online specialty food marketplace aggregating regional/artisanal brands (including nut and pecan producers) for national DTC shipping. Relevant as a distribution channel and competitive benchmark for Durham-Ellis's e-commerce and corporate-gifting ambitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/durhamellispecanco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/durham-elllis-pecans

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Durham-Ellis Pecan