Hidden Gems: Meet Kimberly Serratos of Han’s Pecans

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Serratos.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I guess the story starts before my memories. I and the land where the pecan trees grow came into my family’s life at about the same time. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to walk amongst the mature trees, gather and eat their fruit. But Han’s Pecan’s story didn’t begin until 2020. Handling the changes precipitated by COVID-19 was a struggle. It was easier to escape to the peace of our acreage in Rosharon, avoid the complications of city life entirely. And so I found myself with more time than usual to harvest the pecans our trees produced. I can only bake so many pecan pies! My family alone cannot eat what a mature pecan tree can produce. It seemed a waste to collect and clean so many pecans and for them to sit there, not being eaten. So I decided I must do something about them and that’s how Han’s Pecans came about. Han Solo, the family dog, accompanies us on all our adventures, including pecan gathering so it seemed fitting that his name should be a part of this venture.

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?
The road has been as smooth as it can be in such a time. Adjusting to the extra effort of gathering and washing and figuring out the details of delivery are among the challenges I’ve had to overcome. The abrupt change from collecting handfuls of pecans at a time to pounds at a time was tiring at first, but like all physical labor, it was easy enough to adjust to after some time. Some of my deliveries have taken me to unfamiliar parts of Houston. Strange how it took a pandemic to set me exploring more of my home! Figuring out how to make deliveries without any compromises in safety was stressful, but with a bit of planning, things have gone quite smoothly. I’ve been lucky that I have not faced many struggles along this journey.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Han’s Pecans is a very recent business venture of mine. I cared for pecan trees in Rosharon and decided that I needed to do something with my bounty of pecans aside from making entirely too many pecan pies! So now I sell my hand collected, washed, and packaged pecans. My pecan trees are mature and healthy and only require a little of my help with the most basic of maintenance. I am proud of my pecans and I want to share them.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Of course, it will always be simpler to purchase pecans from the grocery store down the street than placing an order with Han’s Pecans, so I cannot imagine there will be a major boom in my small, local foodstuff industry. But perhaps more people who appreciate the soil of their state producing the food they eat will learn of me and my pecans. I do think the locally produced foodstuff industry is expanding in Houston, farmer’s markets are becoming more popular and populated and I do think this trend will continue. I am looking forward to a time when Houstonians are better connected to each other and to the earth.

Pricing:

• $6.50 for ~1.0 lb of raw pecans

Contact Info:

• Email: hanspecanstx@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanspecanstx/