National Pecan

What National Pecan does

National Pecan is a fully integrated grower, accumulator, processor, and marketer of pecans, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Diamond Foods, LLC since 2017. The company runs three production facilities spanning Stockton, California (headquarters), Poulan, Georgia (National Pecan East), and Fabens, Texas (National Pecan West), with an additional processing site in Juarez, Mexico. Combined annual in-shell input capacity is 100 million pounds, comprising 75M lbs at the 280,000 sq. ft. West facility and 25M lbs at the 30,000 sq. ft. East facility. The company was assembled through the 2015 acquisitions of Poulan Pecan and Young Pecan, and now operates as one of the largest pecan shelling operations in North America.

The product portfolio spans in-shell and shelled pecans across 16 standardized kernel cuts (from Mammoth Halves down to Granules and Pecan Meal) plus value-added roasted, glazed, and flavored pecan ingredients for bakery, food service, and retail customers. State-of-the-art cracking and sorting technology, SQF Level III food safety certification, and Kosher approval at the Fabens and Juarez facilities support both ingredient and retail package formats (6 oz to 3 lbs). The business model is B2B-direct, with dedicated account management serving global ingredient customers, bakery operations, wholesale distributors, and retail chains via direct sales relationships and global shipment capabilities.

Customer segments are organized horizontally across four primary business units: global ingredient customers, bakery customers, wholesale customers, and retail customers. Pricing is negotiated directly with customers based on volume and product specifications and is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held (National Pecan LLC, incorporated in California), with no external funding rounds disclosed. Leadership includes President Steve Zaffarano and regional General Managers overseeing Georgia (Greg Baker) and Arizona (Wayne Hunter) operations, with a dedicated customer service team led by Senior Director Customer Support Deb Cartmell.

Name

National Pecan

Legal name

National Pecan LLC

Website

https://nationalpecan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

National Pecan is a fully integrated grower, accumulator, processor, and marketer of pecans operating three production facilities in California, Georgia, and Texas (plus Mexico), serving global ingredient, bakery, wholesale, and retail customers as a wholly owned subsidiary of Diamond Foods, LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pecan Product Sales: Revenue from selling in-shell pecans, shelled pecans, and value-added pecan ingredients including roasted, glazed, and flavored products. Business-to-business model serving ingredient, bakery, wholesale, and retail customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

National Pecan is a fully integrated grower, accumulator, processor, and marketer of pecans, providing raw pecan products (in-shell and shelled pecans in a full range of sizes from mammoth halves to meal) and value-added pecan ingredients (roasted, glazed, and flavored). The company sells primarily to global ingredient customers, bakery operations, wholesale distributors, and retail chains, processing approximately 100 million pounds of in-shell pecans annually across facilities in Georgia, Texas, and Mexico.

Product overview

National Pecan Company is a leading diversified and fully integrated grower, accumulator, processor, and marketer of pecans, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Diamond Foods, LLC since 2017. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of pecan products organized across two main categories: (1) raw pecan products including in-shell and shelled pecans available in various sizes (Mammoth Halves through Meal/Pecan Meal), and (2) value-added products including roasted, glazed, and flavored pecans. The raw products span a full range of pecan halves (Mammoth Halves, Junior Mammoth Halves, Jumbo Halves, Extra Large Halves, Large Halves, Medium Halves, Topper Halves) and pecan pieces (Mammoth Pieces, Extra Large Pieces, Large Pieces, Large/Medium Pieces, Medium Pieces, Small Pieces, Midget Pieces, Granules, Meal). The value-added offerings include roasted, glazed, and flavored pecans for retail, bakery, and food service customers. The company operates three production facilities across Texas and Georgia with capabilities for shelling, processing, packaging, roasting, salting, manufacturing, and vacuum packaging, with retail bagging options ranging from 6 oz to 3 lbs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mammoth Halves Largest pecan halves with 200-250 count per pound (440-550 per kg), for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Junior Mammoth Halves Pecan halves with 251-300 count per pound (551-660 per kg), for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Jumbo Halves Pecan halves with 301-350 count per pound (661-770 per kg), for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Extra Large Halves Pecan halves with 351-450 count per pound (771-990 per kg), for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Large Halves Pecan halves with 451-550 count per pound (991-1200 per kg), for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Medium Halves Pecan halves with 551-650 count per pound (1201-1430 per kg), for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Topper Halves Pecan halves with 651-800 count per pound (1431-1760 per kg), suitable for topping applications.
• Mammoth Pieces Large pecan pieces through 9/16" over 1/2", for ingredient, bakery, and retail customers.
• Extra Large Pieces Pecan pieces through 1/2" over 7/16" (through 14.3mm over 12.7mm).
• Large Pieces Pecan pieces through 7/16" over 3/8" (through 12.7mm over 9.5mm).
• Large/Medium Pieces Pecan pieces through 3/8" over 5/16" (through 9.5mm over 7.9mm).
• Medium Pieces Pecan pieces through 5/16" over 4/16" (through 7.9mm over 6.4mm).
• Small Pieces Pecan pieces through 4/16" over 3/16" (through 6.4mm over 4.8mm).
• Midget Pieces Pecan pieces through 3/16" over 2/16" (through 4.8mm over 3.2mm).
• Granules Finely processed pecan granules through 2/16" over 1/16" (through 3.2mm over 1.6mm).
• Meal Finely ground pecan meal through 1/16" (through 1.6mm).
• Roasted Pecans Value-added roasted pecans with enhanced flavor for retail and food service customers.
• Glazed Pecans Value-added glazed pecan ingredients for bakery and wholesale customers.
• Flavored Pecans Value-added flavored pecan ingredients for various culinary applications.
• In-Shell Pecans Whole pecans still in their shells, available for retail and wholesale distribution.
• Shelled Pecans Pecan kernels extracted from shells, available in various sizes and cuts for global ingredient, bakery, wholesale, and retail customers.
• Bulk-Packed Pecan Kernels Bulk-packaged pecan kernels for global ingredient, bakery, wholesale, and retail customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 million pounds annual in-shell processing capacity across facilities
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diamond Foods: National Pecan's parent company operating the Diamond of California brand across walnuts, almonds, and other tree nuts. Comparable as a vertically integrated nut processor with overlapping ingredient customer base and global distribution.
• Olam Food Ingredients: Global ingredient supplier of nuts, spices, and dairy serving bakery and food manufacturing customers. Comparable in B2B ingredient model and global shipment capabilities for tree nut products.

Direct peers

• Blue Diamond Growers: Almond cooperative with global ingredient and consumer brand presence. Comparable as a large-scale tree nut processor targeting bakery, ingredient, and snack customers with value-added formats.
• Wonderful Pistachios: Vertically integrated pistachio grower-processor owned by The Wonderful Company. Comparable in operating model (grow-to-shelf vertical integration) and in serving ingredient customers as well as consumer snack markets.
• Hudson Pecan Company: Pecan processor and accumulator with shelling operations. Comparable in pecan-specific processing focus and serving ingredient/bakery customers.
• Georgia Pecan Company: Regional pecan processor based in Georgia's pecan belt offering shelled pecans, in-shell pecans, and value-added products. Direct competitor in pecan cracking and ingredient supply.
• Stahmanns Pecans: Vertically integrated pecan grower and processor based in New Mexico/Australia. Closest direct comparable as a pecan-focused operation spanning shelling, value-added processing, and ingredient/wholesale supply.
• John B. Sanfilippo & Son: Public tree nut processor (Fisher Nut, Orchard Valley Harvest brands) operating large-scale cracking, sorting, and value-added processing for ingredient, retail, and foodservice customers. Direct comparable in nut processing scale and B2B/retail mix.

Emerging players

• Mariani Nut Company: Family-owned California walnut and almond processor with global ingredient customer base. Comparable as a multi-generational tree nut ingredient supplier serving bakery and confectionery markets.
• Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella: Second-largest pistachio processor in the US with value-added capabilities including roasted and flavored products. Comparable in tree nut processing and value-added product expansion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Pinterestpinterest.com/nationalpecanco

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 National Pecan