Down at the edge of the orchards along Pecan Drive, just off Rockhill Road north of Starkville, Peeples Pecan Company owner J.L. Peeples sat leisurely in his rocking chair Thursday morning as a pair of Labradors wandered in through the shop”s open door.
Peeples first rubbed Sam behind the ears, then gave Bessie the same familiar treatment. The two dogs then plopped down lazily on the shop floor as birds chirped in the nearby orchard and Peeples smiled with contentment.
“We like it out here,” he said as he rocked back and forth in his chair, rows of trees and green grass visible through the door.
Summer is down time at Peeples Pecan Company, so Peeples spends his time maintaining the hilly, 8-acre orchard and taking care of company business in preparation for the busy season, which comes in November and December.
These days, the shop is closed to the public and Peeples only maintains a part-time presence, but come November, trees are harvested, the shop opens full time and Peeples sends pecans and pecan products all over the country. He has served customers in nearly all 50 states, he says.
Customers also come to the shop to purchase pecans, or they can go out in the orchard and pick their own.
Peeples opened Peeples Pecan Company 35 years ago because, as a plant pathologist at Mississippi State University, he worked regularly with pecan growers throughout the state and felt he could do it successfully. He also wanted to provide some extra spending money for his sons, one of whom, John, now owns Starkville Cafe and lives across the street from his father on Pecan Drive.
After the first advertisement went out in the paper 35 years ago, business “took off,” Peeples said. Before he knew it, Peeples Pecan Company developed local customers and mail-order customers, thanks mostly to word of mouth, he said.
Nowadays, UPS picks up orders from the company every day during the busy season, Peeples said, though he wouldn”t disclose the amount of pecans he produces each year.
“We”re not a big business,” he said. “We”re kind of small. We just started up, grew a little bit over the years and have had some success, but we”re still kind of small.”
Along with pecans, Peeples and his wife, Lynette, sell pecan candies and pies. The pies are often sold at Starkville Cafe in-season, Peeples said.
Peeples Pecan Company will open for the season Nov. 1.
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