A Global Taste: The American Pecan’s Journey Abroad

As those in the pecan industry know, a cornerstone of the American Pecan Council’s Unified Pecan Promotion Plan is driving incremental volume through exports. Our aim is to establish and support new, consistent global markets for American pecans by forging relationships with buyers and retailers and increasing distribution, while educating consumers on the great quality and taste of the original super nut. Since last year, we’re excited to share the progress we’ve made in three key international markets—the United Kingdom, India and China.

United Kingdom

The APC has made significant strides in increasing American pecan distribution across the UK. Our efforts are focused on major retailers like Tesco and Sainsbury’s, where we’re ramping up our store distribution in Tesco from 280 to 780 locations and are planning in-store promotions in 600 Sainsbury’s outlets and over 700 stores of the popular health chain Holland and Barrett. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pecan exports to the UK have increased by 76 percent between January and July compared to the same period last year—a promising trend for American Pecans.

India

The potential in India is immense. With 20 percent of the world’s population and the fifth largest economy, it’s said to become the third largest consumer of food market by 2027. Since February, we’ve focused on building relationships with key importers and retailers through trade missions (here and in India), and we’re planning an American Pecan Pavilion at MEWA 2025 in Mumbai, India’s foremost B2B exhibition for nuts and dried fruits. This pavilion will serve as a hub for meetings, demonstrations, and sampling initiatives on behalf of all growing states. Additionally, we are investing in retail sampling, e-commerce, social media, and luxury event initiatives to position American pecans as a premium product. With India’s wedding industry grossing $75 billion last year, there’s abundant opportunity for pecans to feature prominently in these celebrations. Like the UK, we’ve seen a steady rise in pecan exports to India.

China

While the APC has been marketing directly to consumers in China since 2020, this year we received results of a new market assessment that will guide our strategy moving forward.  Remarkably, 90 percent of consumers in major cities are now aware of pecans—a real achievement for a nut that is relatively new to the market. However, the U.S. has faced challenges, including tariff disadvantages compared to other producing countries. As China’s capacity to grow pecans increases, we will pursue a very focused level of investment in this region to maintain our presence, while directing our efforts to helping American Pecans stand out as a larger, high-quality nut that is the best fit for gifting sets and the higher end nut market. As a next step, we will be working to identify an in-country representative that can open up doors to importer and retailer relationships and potential retail partnerships.

As we continue to forge ahead in these dynamic markets, our commitment to promoting American pecans remains strong. Together, we can ensure that the American Pecan story resonates far and wide, bringing the rich taste and versatility of this nut to consumers around the world.