By Clint Thompson
Pecans are a staple during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. One industry expert believes they can be an important part of Americans’ diets year-round. That will be key in ensuring pecans remain a sustainable crop for growers in the Southeast region, according to Serena Schaffner, chief marketing officer for American Pecan Council and American Pecan Promotion Board.
She spoke about pecan marketing at the Georgia Pecan Growers Association Conference and Trade Show in Perry on April 1.
“We never say, ‘Walk away from the holidays.’ We’re always going to win those,” Schaffner said. “We see consumption go up really nicely during those October through December months. But it is still really important for us, every January to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got your New Year’s resolution, and we can be the nut for that, too.’ When you’re doing Easter and all of your other things you should be reaching for (pecan) pieces to make baking a lot easier, and by the way, buy an extra bag to snack on it, too.
“Just continuing to remind people that we’re there for them all throughout the year is going to be a big deal for us, to keep those people who are already buying pecans and just to get even more people into the category.”
Health Benefits
According to the Georgia Pecan Commission, pecans are rich sources of B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B-6. Almost 60% of the fats in pecans are monounsaturated and another 30% are polyunsaturated.
Pecans are also recognized as heart healthy by the American Heart Association. Pecans are also an excellent source of Vitamin-E, a strong lipid soluble antioxidant.