BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — Sunday is officially National Pecan Day, a holiday people might have celebrated without even knowing it. But There's a unique company in Central Texas that has been celebrating since last week.
Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company sells all types of pecans, as well as other foods and products made with pecans. Pecan candies, pies, butters and candles are just some of these items. It is a family business that gets their brown nuts from a pecan orchard that relatives planted back in 1980.
While Berdoll brings in both regulars and out-of-towners, they sometimes even get people from outside the country. Lewis Ellen is one of these people, as he was in Texas for the first time.
"I'm from a town in England," Ellen said. "I have a few friends that live in Austin. They said I should check out this place."
Berdoll is known for their pecans as well as their large squirrel outside near Highway 71, which the family put there back in 2011. The Berdoll family calls it "Ms. Pearl," as does pecan enthusiast Monica Rojas.
"It's kind of like the Buc-ee's before there was a Buc-ee's," Rojas said. "We came to the squirrel."
Desiree Hodges works at Berdoll and noticed the squirrel when she first got to town.
"I literally was moving into Bastrop and was like, 'That place looks amazing,'" Hodges said.
Hodges said that they store the pecans in cool temperatures and keep them in their shells right up until they are ready to be sold.
"We harvest about 600,000 pounds of pecan," Hodges said. "One of those super sacks is about 1,300 pounds. We don't crack them until we absolutely need to."
As one of the few places that grow and harvest pecans in Texas, Hodges said there is constant interest in their business.
"Lots of people want pecans," Hodges said. "China tries to buy us out all the time."
Berdoll currently has about 15 employees who work in the store and 20 who work in the shelling plant.
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