Knowledge Center/FAQ

Which is a better value for my money, shelled or in-shell pecans?

For years Southern Star Pecans sold only in-shell pecans, because it was a better value for OUR money.  But 80% of retail pecan sales in the United States are shelled pecans.  Let's break it down.

If you purchase whole pecans, 10 lbs. for example, and shell them yourself, you should have around five to six pounds of shelled pecans.  Of course, shelling them yourself will take several hours.  Depending on how much monetary value you put on your time, or how much free time you have available, buying whole pecans at, say, $2.75 a pound and discarding a little less than half  the total weight (the pecan shell) brings your cost to around $5.25 per pound.

When you buy shelled pecans, 10 lbs. for example, you are buying 10 lbs of usable product.  Approximately 8 pounds of pecan shell was discarded in the shelling process.  Had you purchased 18 lbs whole pecans at $2.75 lb, your cost would have been $49.50.  However, if you paid $6.75 for 10 lbs of the finished product (shelled pecans) your cost is $67.50, a difference of $18.00 or $1.80 lb.

Local pecan shellers charge us seventy cents per pound (that's the weight of the whole pecans we bring in) and it takes two pounds of whole pecans to get one pound of shelled back.  Our total shelling cost per pound is $1.40.  Oh, did we mention that we drove fifty miles to take them to the sheller and fifty miles back to pick them up?

So, which is the better value for you, the consumer, depends on how well you like to shell pecans and how much your time is worth.  The better value for us is to sell you in-shell pecans.  We offer shelled pecans for your convenience even though we make less profit on them than selling in-shell pecans.

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