Green Valley Pecan Company

What Green Valley Pecan Company does

Green Valley Pecan Company, the operating trade name of Farmers Investment CO (FICO), is a privately held, family-owned pecan farming enterprise founded in 1948 by R. Keith Walden and still controlled by the Walden family. The company farms over 5,000 acres of pecan orchards across two Arizona locations: its primary Sahuarita site in the Santa Cruz Valley south of Tucson (PO Box 7, Sahuarita, AZ 85629) and a secondary farm in San Simon. Operations take place at half a mile above sea level in a microclimate with more than 350 days of sunshine per year, which the company attributes to consistently superior nut quality. The enterprise employs approximately 140 people post-restructuring (down from ~270 prior to September 2021) and is led by CEO Dick Walden, COO Brian Driscoll, and Farm Manager Rich Walden.

The core product is bulk in-shell pecans grown on FICO orchards. Until September 2021, FICO operated an integrated in-house shelling/processing plant; that plant was closed in response to tariffs, low-cost Mexican competition, and COVID-19 demand impacts, and has since been converted into an in-shell cold storage and shipping facility. Production now flows to other U.S. shellers and food processors under B2B supply agreements. Underlying technology is precision agriculture rather than software: GPS-leveled fields, soil-moisture probes, sprinkler irrigation confined to the root zone, leaf-sample nutrient analysis, no-tillage practices, cover crops, and a mobile automated pest/weed control system with computer-controlled dosing. A 12-mile Central Arizona Project waterline extension, jointly funded at ~$17M with Freeport-McMoRan and completed in fall 2020, delivers 10,000 acre-feet of surface water annually under a 40-year commitment to a permitted 22,000 acre-feet groundwater savings facility.

Revenue mechanics are wholesale agricultural commodity sales: in-shell pecans are sold directly to enterprise food processors under unspecified pricing, with no consumer-direct channel and no publicly disclosed pricing. The business also derives ancillary value from its Pecan Orchard Series running events (Nut Run, Breeze in the Trees, Pecan Classic) operated since 2008 for community engagement and local nonprofit fundraising, and from cold storage/shipping services at its repurposed Sahuarita facility. Customer segments are concentrated in B2B food processing, with secondary exposure to community/sponsorship revenue from regional event sponsors such as Desert Diamond Casino. The company holds no disclosed patents, no external institutional investors, and no material digital product surface.

Name

Green Valley Pecan Company

Legal name

Farmers Investment CO

Website

https://greenvalleypecan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Green Valley Pecan Company (Farmers Investment CO) is a family-owned Arizona pecan grower that farms 5,000+ acres in the Santa Cruz Valley and San Simon, selling in-shell pecans wholesale to U.S. food processors following its 2021 exit from in-house shelling.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sahuarita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-shell Pecan Sales: FICO grows pecans on its farms in the Santa Cruz Valley and San Simon, selling the harvested crop in-shell to another U.S. processor for shelling. The processing plant was closed in 2021 due to challenging global pecan market conditions including tariffs, low-cost Mexican competition, and COVID-19 impacts. After processing operations ended, the plant became an in-shell cold storage and shipping facility.
2. Cold Storage and Shipping Services: The former processing plant was converted to an in-shell cold storage and shipping facility for the pecans grown on FICO farms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Farmers Investment Co (FICO) / Green Valley Pecan Company grows pecans on its own orchards across the Santa Cruz Valley and San Simon, Arizona, and sells the harvested crop in-shell to other U.S. processors for shelling. After closing its own shelling plant in late 2021, the company converted that facility into an in-shell cold storage and shipping operation that supports its B2B supply of bulk pecans to food processors and distributors.

Product overview

Green Valley Pecan Company (Farmers Investment Co/FICO) is a pecan farming and agricultural operation that grows premium pecans on over 5,000 acres in the Santa Cruz Valley near Sahuarita, Arizona. The company operates an in-shell cold storage and shipping facility for their pecan harvests. Their product portfolio centers on the Green Valley Pecans brand, offering in-shell pecans and value-added storage services. The company is family-owned and operated since 1948.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Valley Pecans (In-Shell Pecans) Bulk in-shell pecans grown on over 5,000 acres of FICO orchards in the Santa Cruz Valley and San Simon, Arizona, produced under sustainable precision-agriculture practices and sold to U.S. processors for shelling and distribution.
• In-Shell Cold Storage and Shipping Facility Refrigerated in-shell storage and outbound shipping of FICO-grown pecans from the company's Sahuarita, Arizona facility, serving U.S. pecan processors as a continuation of the company's post-harvest logistics offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Groundwater savings facility with 22,000 acre-feet annual capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Freeport-McMoRancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership formed in 2015 to build a Central Arizona Project (CAP) waterline extension to FICO's Sahuarita Farm. Joint private funding of approximately $17 million with Freeport contributing two-thirds of the funding. The waterline was completed in fall 2020 and delivers 10,000 acre-feet of CAP water annually. The partnership includes 40-year commitments for operational and sustained project investment, helping reduce groundwater pumping and restore the local aquifer balance.
• TaggRun / Steve TaggartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSteve Taggart and TaggRun coordinated the Pecan Orchard Series running events for over a decade. After Taggart announced retirement as Event Director in 2023, FICO took over coordination and hosting of the events. Taggart was honored for his years of dedicated service to the running events.
• Desert Diamond CasinominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 13th Annual Breeze in the Trees 5K run in 2024, part of the Pecan Orchard Series community events.
• The Running ShopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 13th Annual Breeze in the Trees 5K run in 2024. Provides gift certificates for overall and masters winners at running events.
• Western Blend FertilizerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 13th Annual Breeze in the Trees 5K run in 2024.
• Sprinkler WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 13th Annual Breeze in the Trees 5K run in 2024.
• Greater Green Valley Community FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 13th Annual Breeze in the Trees 5K run in 2024.
• Green Valley Firefighters AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrepares pancake breakfasts featuring pecans from FICO's orchards at running events. Supports community events as a nonprofit beneficiary.
• Saguaro City Music TheaterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit beneficiary of running events. Offers tuition-free programs for children and teenagers including those with special needs, focused on musical theater.
• Walden Grove High School Marching BandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of the 14th Annual Breeze in the Trees run in 2025, receiving donations from the event proceeds.
• Sahuarita 4-H ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth organization beneficiary of running events, focused on agricultural education and leadership development.
• Future Farmers of America (FFA) at Rio Rico High SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeneficiary of running events, receiving donations to support agricultural education and FFA programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farmers-investment-co-green-valley-pecan-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Green Valley Pecan Company