Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Brewer.
Mike, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 1981 the wife and I I purchased a small abandoned farm house with 5 acres of property in Sunnyvale, Texas. The house is a 1910 Texas Prairie house that I was hell-bent on saving — which I did! The farm has 2 gigantic native pecans that are estimated by an arborist to be between 200 and 300 years old. Having natural springs and with other pecan orchards in the area, I decided to plant 90 pecan trees in 1995. I selected 3 varieties that were best suited for the flood plain of the east fork of the Trinity River in far eastern Dallas County. The Choctaw, Pawnee, and Desirable pecan trees have flourished and produce some of the tastiest pecans around. We are a family owned and operated pecan orchard, doing business as Texas Pecanderosa Orchard (texaspecanderosa.com). In 2019 we were selected as the “small pecan farm of the year” by the Texas Pecan Growers Association. Having spent 37 years working for a municipality in Dallas County, I offer a 10% discount to all vets, government employees, and first responders. The wife and I, along with our family, strive to grow the finest pecans at a reasonable price. The pecans come directly out of our orchard — cleaned, sorted, washed and sanitized. We sell them on our webpage with cracking available. This year, we are changing over to a regenerative model of farming which will reduce fertilizers, chemicals, and pesticides. We continually receive new customers by word of mouth, and have many repeat customers who have been buying our pecans for years. Until you taste a fresh locally grown pecan, you don’t know what your missing. They taste great and are heart healthy. Little Mom and Pop operations like ours are a fading endeavor as we are surrounded by million-dollar mansions and land values that have gone through the roof. We usually harvest between October through December, filling orders via our website. Individuals can sign up for our mailing list on the Contact form at texaspecanderosa.com.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Farming is always a battle with mother nature. Growing conditions are dictated by the weather — it’s too HOT, WET, DRY, or WINDY. Whatever the issues, that’s what you work with.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I worked for a Dallas County Municipality for 37 years. I worked my way through the system, hiring on as a plumbing inspector and concluding my career as Director of Code Compliance. I was given the opportunity to provide Construction Management services to the City and spent the last seven years of my career building government facilities. I am a “golden rule” kind of guy. I treat people the way I want to be treated. I enjoyed my career as a civil servant and was always touted as firm but fair.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
As stated, we are a mom and pop operation, so the best way to support us is to visit the website and get on our mailing list.
Pricing:
- 2024 Prices whole pecans — $6.50/#
- 2024 cracking — $.50/#
- Prices are determined each fall
- We sell out annually in December.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://texaspecanderosa.com
- Facebook: Texas Pecanderosa
Image Credits
They are all my photos — Mike Brewer
