WELCOME TO THE SWEETEST PART OF OUR STORY
In 1990, my husband and I began making homemade candied pecans as holiday gifts for our extended family. What began as a simple holiday tradition has turned into a small business born from both love and resilience.
Just days after high school graduation, our son Jacob suffered a serious neck injury in a trampoline park accident, averting paralysis by millimeters. With the support of a top notch medical team, his family, a caring community, and his commitment to full recovery, Jacob healed over the next six months, choosing to defer college for a year. During that time, he connected with a high-level, faith based baseball instruction organization. Needing to raise funds to become their first intern, he decided to sell our pecans. They were an instant hit, and soon customers were asking for them year after year. With three kids in college and realizing our family recipe could bring joy to more than just our family's Christmas table, we decided to begin Pecans by Karen, with our first market being held in the Fall of 2016.
In the meantime, Jacob went on to play four years of college baseball, spending his summers in Atlanta mentoring youth in baseball, faith, and character development. He went on to launch his own baseball instruction business and he now works in Knoxville, Tennessee with one of the top names in the sports performance industry. His determination to heal quickly and turn a difficult season into something good was the spark that inspired Pecans by Karen.
Just as Jacob pours his heart into helping others, we now pour ours into sharing that original tradition, offering pecans that aren't just delicious - they're a wholesome, protein-rich snack you can feel good about anytime. Whether gifted or enjoyed straight from the bag, they're a perfect blend of indulgence and nourishment. And because 10% of our business profits goes to fight human trafficking, each bag you buy helps make a real difference in the community. Real Pecans. Real Purpose. Really Good.
Featured in Voyage Houston Magazine
We are honored that Voyage Houston Magazine highlighted Pecans by Karen in their October 2022 local stories. You can read the full interview/story on their website here.
This will get you started:
“Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Gwynne.
Hi Karen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband, Geoff, and I started making candied pecans for our family as Christmas gifts in 1990. As our three boys were added to the family, they helped as they were able. Fast forward 25 years. Just weeks after high school graduation, our son Jacob landed badly in a foam pit at a trampoline park, averting paralysis, but fracturing 4 vertebrae. He was in a halo and then a neck brace for 6 months after surgery. Long story short, he deferred his college plans a year, but he had some extra time once he had healed. Being a baseball player, he got connected with Nextlvl Sports in Atlanta Georgia, a high-level baseball organization instructing youth in baseball, faith and character development. He became their first Volunteer Intern. The volunteer part required a need to raise money, so I suggested he “sell those pecans we’ve been baking all these years”. Well, he did, and we discovered that people really liked our pecans! Two things happened next. First, Jacob left for Georgia, and he hasn’t looked back. He interned there every summer of college, and at graduation become the Director of Baseball Operations. He has since left Nextlvl and is now a professional hitting instructor and the owner of Yes Yes Training in NW Atlanta.”
