National Pecan acquires Poulan Pecan Company

ALBANY — One of south Georgia’s most important crops is once again in the news this week as National Pecan, one of the industry’s largest companies announced it has acquired Poulan Pecan Company in Worth County.

The purchase includes Poulan Pecan’s processing facility, along with its brand, and also marks the first move of this kind for the Texas-based company.

The purchase also comes at a time when the pecan industry anticipates a larger global profile as industry insiders continue to lobby for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) federal marketing order (FMO), which would authorize the promotion, data collection and activities of pecans in the 15 largest pecan-producing states, including Texas and Georgia.

“At National Pecan we feel very positive about the future of the U.S. Pecan industry,” said National Pecan’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Lawrence in a statement. “As such we are delighted with the purchase of Poulan Pecan Company. Our company has already purchased significant pecan acreage, so acquiring a high-efficiency processing facility is a strategic move for our aggressive expansion plans.”

Jess Harrell, CEO and president of Poulan Pecan, founded the company in 2009 and will stay on as general manager of the facility under National.

“Vertical integration is going to be the future of the pecan business; its a plus for the industry,” Harrell said. “We’re excited about it; excited about what the future holds.”

Harrell said part of that excitement comes from the fact that he believes National brings enough capital to the table to allow the Poulan plant and its 50 employees to continue to thrive.

“With the capital these guys have behind them they’re going to a lot of good things,” Harrell said. “They’re going to take this place to the next level.”

With talk concerning the potential USDA FMO also remaining positive following a hearing hosted by USDA officials last week in Tifton, Harrell is also excited about the future of the pecan business in general, which could grow to rival that of the almond and pistachio industries, if the FMO is approved.

“We’re definitely in favor of (the FMO),” said Harrell. “We should have already done that. The pecan business needed that years ago. I feel very good about it. I think overall the industry looks at it as a positive thing. We’re going to be able to jump out there and help a lot of customers. I’m excited about it.”

In addition to the acquisition of Poulan Pecan, National Pecan, which provides both in-shell and shelled pecans, along with pecan-based products around the world, is continuing to look for additional ways of expanding its asset base and is an active buyer of both orchards and processing facilities.

“We are deeply committed to investing, and re-investing, in the U.S. pecan industry,” said National Pecan Chief Operating Officer (COO) Steve Zaffarano in a press release. “We are exceptionally optimistic about the growth potential of domestic and international pecans and we are ready to be a major driver of that growth.”