Dear Friends,

This year we look forward to a big crop of pecans! With several years of a light pecan crop and only a few varieties available, we were happy that in the middle of this year some pecans had to be shaken from the trees to ensure the trees didn't overload. After shaking the trees early in the year, the remaining pecans fill out into larger, high-quality pecans. What a good problem to have!

The Berdolls are all happy and healthy. Jared and I are in our sixth year of owning the retail store. We love working together as a family and are blessed our kids like to work with us too! Logan (3) helps Jared in the processing plant, and Halle (8 months) helps me at the computer and loves giving customers a friendly smile.

Hal and Lisa cherish their time with the grandkids and are trying to stay healthy. They are realizing that getting older can mean more doctors' appointments. They both enjoy exercising, taking their grandchildren places, and country western dancing. They take weekend road trips to Senior Pro Rodeos, as Hal has rekindled his passion for roping.

Kylene and Will have two girls, Kyndall (4) and Kenzie (18 months). Kylene works part-time as a massage therapist, and Will is in law enforcement. They remain dedicated to raising high-quality horses and whitetail deer. They just introduced a new website, www.runninawquarterhorses.com.

Brandon and Brandi continue to run their sawmill business and just launched a new website, www.berdollsawmill.com. Their son, Clay (3), enjoys helping Brandon work at the sawmill. They will be expanding the Berdoll clan in February 2015, as they are expecting a new baby.

Business has been exciting this year! In January 2014, we introduced the redesign of our website. It is now easier than ever to order, it features a "Deal of the week", allows for purchase and redemption of gift certificates and much more! In May, Jeff Foxworthy mentioned our pecan vending machine during his act at Redfest in Austin. In July we hosted our 2nd Annual Pecan Pie eating contest in honor of National Pecan Pie Day. The winner receives a free pecan pie each month for a whole year. In September, we began an in-store customer rewards program. We also added quite a few wholesale accounts. You can now find our delicious pecan products at seven Buc-ee's Mega Stores, Austin Gift Company, Breed & Co., Hyatt Lost Pines, and a few other great shops. We are social! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BerdollPecans and on Facebook (Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Co.) to stay up to date with sales, new merchandise, and more!

We look forward to another terrific year of making lots of delicious pecan pies and pecan candies. Thank you to our staff that helps us do what we love. We consider them family!