We have had a year without any "major" projects! Between retail space, shipping area, our production and candy making factory and large coolers to store inshell pecans, it seems we are constantly adding on. This year we rearranged our shelling plant and added two pieces of equipment to streamline many processes. We also implemented a food-safety certification that required us to make improvements and document all processes. Jared and I survived working on this big project together, which definitely tested our sixteen years of marriage!

We take pride in all the delicious products that we are dedicated to making. It would be a much easier process to simply purchase and package items; however, when we get outstanding emails and reviews about our delicious chocolate-covered pecans, honey-glazed pecans, sweet habanero pecans, and jalapeno-flavored pecans, and more, we feel blessed that we are able to produce a farm-to-table product. Our 40-foot chocolate machine, honey-glazed kettle, and convectional ovens are in high demand year round.

We are also proud of our long-term employees. Our 32 full-time employees have worked at Berdoll's for a combined 234 years! Their dedication to grading, cracking, and shelling pecans, making pies and chocolates, shipping packages, updating our website, taking phone calls, and greeting customers, is deeply appreciated. We think of Berdoll's as a big family!

A few annual traditions continue this year, as we had our 12th Annual Pecan Pie Eating Contest and Ms. Pearl the Squirrel's 13th birthday. Ms. Pearl wore giant sunglasses for the solar eclipse, which was a big hit and garnered lots of attention.