Pecan Farmers’ Co-operative of Australia [Supplier Spotlight]

Pecan Farmers’ Co-operative of Australia collaborate and support pecan farmers to deliver a high-quality pecan product. What sets them apart is their dedication to sustainable, regenerative and organic farming practices, while prioritising fair trade and return for the farmers.

Why is sourcing local better?

We always look for the opportunity to source our ingredients from Australian suppliers who are giving back local farmers and communities. We can be confident our Australian suppliers are producing a top-quality product, that is easily accessible for our customers. Sourcing from Australian suppliers also decreases the distance food needs to travel, from harvesting, into the consumers hand, also known as food miles. This has a positive effect on the overall carbon emissions of our products. Our priority is to support other small Australian businesses, just like ours. Therefore, 100% of profits go back to the farmer, instead of into the pockets of the few big corporations that dominate the global food supply. Our collaboration with our new pecan suppliers ticks all these boxes.

A little bit about our supplier

On this note, we are excited to introduce our new organic pecan supplier, The Pecan Farmer’s Co-operative of Australia (PFCA), who are a 100% farmer owned, small Australian business. The alignment of our business values meant collaborating with them was a no-brainer. The Co-op was established in 2020 as a way for farmers to fully invest in the entire supply chain of pecan production and distribution. They value relationships with suppliers and buyers above all else and endeavour to operate in an open, honest and ethical manner. 

Pecan Farmers’ Co-operative has worked hard to establish fair trade and return for the farmers themselves. They have built reliable, profitable and long-term business relationships, with both local and international markets, ensuring a fair market price for the farmers and consumers. The Pecan Farmers are collectively committed to clean, green production and the world's best farming methods. This includes conservation of soils, waterways, reef and air for our future generations. Farmers actively embrace biological, regenerative and organic farming practices, with many of their growers leading soil care, land-care and regenerative farming groups.

How PFCA are currently tracking?

Currently, the Co-op represents 26 small to medium size farms located from Renmark, South Australia, to Mundubbera, Queensland. Their smallest farm supplies approximately 200kg of raw product, and the largest contributes approximately 60,000kg to the Co-op each year. They are the largest processor and supplier of 100% Australian grown and manufactured organic pecans in Australia. 85% of the product that is produced is certified organic and the remaining farms are either in conversion (which is a three-year process) or practicing biological and regenerative farming practices. 

The Pecan Farmers Co-op has a small factory, located in regional QLD on one of the growers' farms. The factory started from humble beginnings, being entirely funded by grower cash contributions. Much of the equipment has been designed and manufactured by the farmers too! PFCA employs 6-8 local people and use all local contractors, transport companies and packaging suppliers. They take pride in returning income to the local economy and supporting other small businesses around them.  

Food Grade Certifications

PFCA work closely with each one of their suppliers to achieve the best quality, directly from the paddock to you. Their approved supplier process ensures growers comply with strict guidelines regarding the use of agricultural chemicals and farming practices. This ensures all pecans are a high quality, strictly certified organic product. 

• Certified Organic (ACO)
• Strict food safety and quality procedures
• HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control point)
• Brand reputation through compliance
• Kosher
• Halal accredited

Measures taken to achieve environmental sustainability

The Pecan Farmers Co-op has a zero-waste goal, which is achieved by reusing packaging or recycling it when possible. Any pecans that aren't up to scratch get turned into fertiliser, which is spread back onto the orchard to enhance the biological health of the soil.

PFCA strives to keep food miles low. Their depots are well positioned, close to farms across two states to ensure unnecessary transport is reduced. Processing hubs are located both regionally in Australia and in Asia, to ensure the product is manufactured as close to the end consumer as possible. This plays a significant role in reducing the food miles of the product.

The pecan business is naturally effective in its water usage. As pecan trees become efficient in their water usage during the cooler, winter months, irrigation is not required for at least 4 months of the year. Many of PFCA’s farms produce quality pecans without the need for irrigation at all. When the leaves fall in autumn, they provide a good base of mulch for moisture. This breaks down into carbon and provides a great soil enhancer and environment for soil micro-organisms to thrive.

100% pesticide free pecans are not only far better for our health, but also provide a superior alternative of farming for the environment, the bees and native fauna. Farmers actively embrace biological, regenerative and organic farming practices.

Pecan orchards complement the surrounding environments by encouraging and inhabiting large populations of native and European bees, insects and native wildlife. The 200,000 trees currently growing help reduce Co2 in our atmosphere 24hr a day, 365 days per year.

Meet some of the farmers

Tweed River Pecans, NSW.

A family-owned Pecan Orchard, run by David and Kaye McNaught and daughter, Jessie. The McNaught family planted their first pecan trees on the farm in 1999. Today, the farm consists of 10 hectares of certified organic pecan orchards. The shared love of nature and everyday joy of using regenerative practices to grow nutritious food is at the core of what the McNaught’s do. Since 2010, they are proud of their efforts to increase measurable soil carbon from 3% to 7%.

Wilson River Pecans, North Coast of NSW.

Geoff and Debbie Bugden have been pecan nut farmers for 25years. They have approximately 600 trees, ranging from 10-50 years old. They too are highly passionate and knowledgeable about biological, regenerative and organic farming. Geoff has been a guest speaker at the Australian Biological Conference on several occasions.

Indulge in the exquisite flavour of Honest to Goodness Organic Australian Pecans, sourced from sun-kissed orchards. Discover the rich, buttery goodness that sets them apart. Organic Australian Pecans 150g, Organic Australian Pecans 600g, Organic Australian Pecans 4KG, Organic Australian Pecans 14KG