We were lucky to catch up with Molly Nelson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Molly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Como Pecan Company has only been in existence for 10 months, but it’s already hard for me to remember who I was and what little I knew about business 10 months ago. This year, I have received a crash course. I have had to immerse myself in the pecan industry in every way. I have traveled to several field days in different states to learn the best methods of growing and harvesting pecans. I have spoken with countless government entities about food regulation and food safety. I have gotten breakfasts, coffees, and lunches with other small business owners, graphic designers, professionals in the shipping industry, grocery store owners, and the like.
Every day I wake up and think, “What is my next step?” Staying curious is the single most important skill I need as a small business owner. I cannot become complacent. My imagination starts churning the moment I wake up. “What can be done today, this week, this month, this year to help this business thrive?” The second most important thing after curiosity, is mentorship. I would not have the business I do today without the many people in my life that have guided me. Family and friends are incredibly important, but I owe much of my success to the small business owners who have shown me what to do and how to do it. I needed someone to explain my logistics options. How do I actually transport thousands of pounds of pecans around town? Finding a trustworthy mentor that you can turn to whenever you’ve exhausted your own brain power is a primary key to success.
Lastly, relationships. I love people and I enjoy talking with new people. Being a small business owner means that you have to answer the phone when it rings. You have to call people back. You have to force yourself to keep connecting with others. Connecting with people is a simple way to get them coming back for more of whatever service you provide and there is nothing better than receiving a positive customer review.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Como, Mississippi is a very special place. My family has owned our pecan orchard in Como since I was a young girl. It is a beautiful piece of land with rolling hills and row after row of pecan trees. For the past 15 years, we sold our pecans wholesale in the shell. Unfortunately, the wholesale price of pecans took a downturn several years ago and the farm has not been able to find solid ground.
After much deliberation, I decided to explore the option of getting our pecans shelled and then bagged with our own label. The name, Como Pecan Company, was one that my family has thought about for years. It has a nice ring to it and it clearly defines us. We currently sell raw pecan halves, raw pecan pieces, chopped pecans, and pecan flour.
The orchard is beautiful, and it holds so many memories for our family. Though running a small business is very hard work, it brings me so much joy to help the orchard find its way forward.
Many orchards are being abandoned right now because of the expense to keep the pecan trees healthy while the return is low. A lot of smaller operations are giving up altogether. It is our mission to provide fresh, quality pecans to our region and to keep our orchard thriving for generations to come.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Prior to Como Pecan Company, I was a therapist. I continued practicing therapy after having my first child, but after my second, I realized that I was taking on too much as a young mother. I decided to pull back my hours and then eventually quit altogether. I was in search of something that could give me more flexibility and also something that would bring me purpose and enjoyment. The orchard offered me an opportunity to care for something I love and to do it in a creative way that offers much more flexibility. Pivots are inevitable and often necessary. Being flexible and open-minded about where life might take you next is the only way to ease the stress and pain of the pivot.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

When I started Como Pecan Company, I intended it to be mainly be an online ecommerce business. What I learned is that the pecan industry has a major spike in the fall when pecans are newly harvested, but then the rest of the year is much slower. Our pecan orchard will make upwards of 150,000 lbs of pecans a year. I had to get creative on how to sell thousands of pecans in our off season. I cold called grocery stores and bakeries that use a lot of pecans in our area. Though I was a new company with very little prior history to show for, the local grocers were willing to hear me out. Our pecans are local, they are always fresh, and they are great quality. I continued to pursue the managers of each store and slowly, one by one, they said yes. I’m still surprised every time I remember that Como pecans are now in over 20 stores.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.comopecancompany.com
• Instagram: comopecancompany
• Facebook: Como Pecan Company

Image Credits

Photography by Jordan Finney and Amy Threadgill