Having lived in Troy since 1979, I cherish the tradition my mother started, sending me to buy Whaley pecans every November for her holiday baking. In 2025, the Whaley family will proudly celebrate their 88th year in business, a testament to their enduring legacy and passion. This article is a cherished reprint from 1971.

People in every state in the U. S. and several foreign countries consume a product that’s produced and processed in Pike County.  The product is shelled pecans.

The Whaley Pecan Company of Troy is one of the leading companies that shell and process pecans in Alabama.  Their plant has a capacity of shelling 15,000 pounds of pecans a day.

Whaley Pecan Company was established in 1937 by Lester Whaley, father of Ed Whaley, who now operates the plant.  It started as a hand-cracking and shelling operation and has developed into a modern mechanical operation that includes such sophisticated equipment as electric-eye sorting machines.  The company employs up to 45 persons during the shelling season, most of who inspect and package pecan meats.  Pecans in the shell are purchased from local growers and dealers and from most of the pecan-producing counties in the state.

“Most of our shelled pecans are sold in states east of the Mississippi River, but some orders are filled from all 50 states and several foreign countries as well,” stated Ed Whaley, president of the company.

The pecans are sold in two basic types—halves and pieces.  They are packaged in assorted sizes and grades.  The bulk of the shelled pecan meats is sold during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.  Church and civic groups in many states order shelled pecans in one-pound bags to sell as a fundraising project.  In addition to sales to individuals and groups, the company’s product is also in demand by commercial companies like bakeries, restaurants, institutional dining halls, and grocery stores.

“One of the most important aspects of a local business like the Whaley Pecan Company is the fact that it puts such a large percentage of its gross income back into the county’s economy,” stated Pike County Probate Judge Ben Reeves.  The Company is locally owned and operated, it employs local people, and in addition, it provides an additional market for pecan producers in the county, Reeves continued.

“Pecans are big business to Pike County farmers, too,” state Pike County Extension Chairman H. J. Carter.  “County pecan producers receive approximately $35,000 to $50,000 annually from the sale of pecans.  With approximately 30,000 pecan trees, Pike County ranks fifth in Alabama and seventieth in the United States in pecan tree numbers,” Carter continued.

The Whaley Pecan Company is a good example of how local people can develop the resources existing in a county.

All of these articles can be found in previous editions of The Troy Messenger.  Stay tuned for more.  Dianne Smith is the President of the Pike County Historical, Genealogical, and Preservation Society.