For more than one hundred years, the Bergeron family has presided over their pecan empire on the banks of False River.
When I lived in New York my mother would ship me an order of Bergeron Pecans every November. I would anxiously await my cellophane bag full of pecan halves with the signature dark blue writing on the front and the iconic praline recipe courtesy of U.S. Senator Allen J. Ellender on the back wrapper. Most of my friends began to expect pies, pralines, and divinity from me.
I had never imagined a life without pecans until I moved up north. I had a newfound appreciation for the pecan after I returned home and was grateful that Louisiana sat right in the middle of the pecan belt (which spans from Arizona to Georgia) because it meant that I was lucky enough to live close to perfect little packages of heart-healthy goodness that rain from the trees during the fall.
The word pecan has Algonquian origins and means a nut that requires a stone to crack. Technically pecans are not nuts; they are drupes—a type of fruit with a single stone or pit (other drupes include cherries, walnuts, and almonds). In any case, the method for cracking the hard shell of the pecan has created an empire for the Bergeron family that is over a century old and has spanned three generations.
Horace Joseph Bergeron owned a general store in New Roads and began selling pecans in 1909. In 1919, he started sending townsfolk home with pecans to shuck by hand at night; he would sell the pecan meat to local candy makers. The second generation of Bergeron men set their sights on new technology. In 1941, Lester and Bennett Bergeron constructed the current shelling plant beside the old general store.
Today Lester Jr., Steve, and Andre Bergeron manage the family business. In addition to the family-owned orchards, Bergeron sources pecans from over ninety growers statewide. Pecans are a $12 million a year crop for the state of Louisiana with $7 million of that crop handled by Bergeron, making it the largest pecan shelling plant in the state.
Lester Jr., the general manager of Bergeron, explained that summer is the downtime for the plant, when improvements are made and the shelling machines are serviced. But come October, "the pecans start to fall. Then we start rockin' and rollin', 24-7! We work like this all the way to Christmas to make sure everyone can have their pies and candy."
From October to April, the plant will shell approximately six to eight million pounds of pecans. "The last four or five years we have had a good crop. This year we will have a short season due to the wet spring, but we will still be just fine." said Lester Jr. Shelling the pecans is about a two-day process from start to finish. First the pecans are sized and sorted. Then one particular size is selected to shell. Next the pecans are shaken and placed in a hot water bath to remove dirt. After their bath, they go into the cracker and then the sheller. They are washed again, cooled, and the halves are separated from the pieces. "The ladies of Bergeron at the sorting table provide the final quality control," said Lester Jr. Finally, the pecans are boxed and bagged and placed in cold storage where they wait to be shipped all over the U.S.
In 1990, Donald Bergeron, son of Bennett Bergeron, decided to take the logical next step in the family business, founding Pointe Coupee Pecans. Pointe Coupee takes the shelled Bergeron pecans and does everything from baking them in sugar to dipping them in chocolate. Donald's son Miles is now involved in the family business. When asked if it is possible to be a member of the Bergeron family and not be involved in the pecan industry, he said, "Yes, but it is a rare occurrence." Miles’ favorite Pointe Coupee confection is their sugared pecans. "I probably eat at least a handful of them a day," he said, but then admitted, "I can't eat pecan pie anymore. I just can't."
Bergeron pecans have earned the highest quality pecan rating from The United States Pecan Shelling Association; and with a name that is synonymous with quality, it follows that their pecans have found their way into some prestigious Louisiana products. Aunt Sally's Original Creole Pralines in New Orleans gets a weekly delivery of Bergeron pecans. Jeff Kleinpeter, president and CEO of Kleinpeter Dairy contacted the Bergeron family about four years ago to arrange to use their pecans in their butter pecan ice cream. "We went to them because they were family owned, and I loved their pecans," Kleinpeter said.” Today Kleinpeter Dairy uses twenty thousand pounds of Bergeron pecans a year, and the pecans are also showcased in their pralines and cream and honey pecan vanilla ice cream flavors.
This October when the new crop starts to hit the shelves, I will pick up a few bags to send to my childhood friends who have defected to the north so they can bake a pie or two. But more importantly, so they will know what they are missing.
Creole Pralines By Senator Allen J. Ellender 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup dark or light brown sugar 1 stick butter (1/4 pound) 1 cup milk 2 tbsp Karo syrup 4 cups pecan halves
Put all the ingredients except the pecans in a 3-quart saucepan and cook for about 20 minutes after boiling starts, stirring occasionally. Add the pecans and cook the mixture until it forms a soft ball when a little is dropped into cold water. Stir well and then drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. I find it convenient to place a small table near the stove over which I put a few sheets of newspaper, and then the waxed paper over that.
Allen J. Ellender (1890-1972) was a United States senator from Houma who served in the senate from 1937 until his death in 1972. He was well known for his Cajun cooking. After his death, the Houma Daily Courier printed an editorial that read, “Although he was from the bayous, he knew the world. And he left his imprint upon it and upon America. He was our number one citizen and America's number one senator.”
Details. Details. Details.
Bergeron Pecans 10003 False River Road New Roads, La. (225) 638-9686 Pointe Coupee Pecans 1284 Cajun Drive Port Allen, La. pcpecan.com Kleinpeter Dairy kleinpeterdairy.com Aunt Sally’s auntsallys.com
