Rolling with history

Why the Stuckey’s brand continues to be the model of consistent excellence

In the beginning… It is the way every great story starts. For Stuckey’s, it started with a borrowed truck and a $35 loan. That’s how W.S. “Sylvester” Stuckey, Sr., founded Stuckey’s as a roadside pecan stand along Highway 23 in Eastman, Georgia in 1937.

With that truck and the loan (from his grandmother), W.S. drove around the countryside and bought pecans from local farmers to sell at his stand, along with local honey and souvenirs. His wife, Ethel, added her delicious homemade candies – southern delicacies like pralines, Divinities, and our iconic Pecan Log Rolls. And so, from that beginning, Stuckey’s grew the stores to a roadside empire. At its peak in the 1960s, the little pecan company had become an integral part of the American road trip. It boasted 368 stores in over 40 states, each offering kitschy souvenirs, clean restrooms, Texaco gas, and of course, our famous candies.

We sat down with Ethel “Stephanie” Stuckey, Billy’s daughter (who took over as CEO of Stuckey’s in November 2019), to see where the iconic brand is heading.

Give us a snapshot of the Stuckey’s brand?

Stuckey’s is synonymous with the American road trip, a welcoming oasis where generations of travelers have found a hot snack, fun souvenirs and our famous pecan log roll. We’re also all about the pecan; the only snack nut native to our country. We source all of our nuts from local farmers and process them in our factory. Stuckey’s champions small businesses and small town America. Like this country, we’ve had our share of hard times, but we’re making a comeback and inviting folks to join us on our journey.

Why does the brand still resonate with today’s consumer?

Everyone loves a comeback story, and that’s us. My grandfather sold Stuckey’s in 1964, and we endured decades of control by Corporate America, where our brand was trashed. But the company is back in family hands, and we’re reviving it in a way that respects our rich past while also looking to the future. This is true especially given the hard times we’ve all had with the pandemic, consumers have sought comfort in nostalgia. There’s something so reassuring about brands like ours that have survived against incredible odds, yet we’re still standing. People can relate to that.

I love how he created something of beauty in a roadside gas station, showing that good design can be for everyone and found anywhere.

What type of consumers are you targeting?

Our core demographic right now are folks who remember stopping at Stuckey’s on their family vacations in the 60s, 70s and 80s. We love them but recognize to grow we’ll have to expand. As we continue to market our pecan products, especially the healthy nuts, I expect our base to include more health-conscious consumers. But we’ll always sell our pecan log rolls and other classic Southern confections, because who doesn’t like to treat themselves every now and then? In sum, we’re focusing on folks who love to road trip, while also expanding to foodies who enjoy our pecan products.

What type of adjustments have you made surrounding the recent state of events?

Like every business, we’ve had our share of supply chain challenges, from packaging delays to sugar being in high demand.

Labor shortages have also hit our production capacity. But overall, we’ve weathered the ups and downs ok. We focused on moving our core product line to channels that continued to do well despite the pandemic—grocery stores, hardware stores, plus selling online. And more folks have been travelling by car, so we’ve seen a bump in sales at our licensed stores.

How does the design of the restaurant cater to what today’s consumers want?

I’ll preface this by saying that we don’t own or operate any of our branded locations – they’re all independently licensed. The legacy Stuckey’s were designed by my grandfather, and he was very deliberate in having the entrances to the store filled with candy displays and merchandise stacked high and hanging from the ceiling. It was all about moving products. The restaurants were always a snack bar format, with limited seating. He wanted customers walking around the store browsing, not seated in a booth. That logic still works today—look at how Cracker Barrel stores are structured. The first thing you see is the store with all the fun items and candy barrels. It’s all about the merchandise.

Is there a location that really shows how the brand interacts with the community and customers? One of your favorites?

There are a few that I’m really proud of, but I’ll pick just one which is Johnston City, IL. They have an old fashioned jukebox and a terrific eye for product selection—salt and pepper shakers, fun wall hangings, and a lot more. Outside, there’s a statuary garden and a memorial to veterans. It’s also one of the classic stores with the sloped teal roof.

Walk us through how and why it was designed the way it is?

My grandfather’s original store designs were opportunistic with no consistency. He often would buy an existing building and convert it to Stuckey’s if the price and location were right. When the Interstate Highway System started bypassing the state roads where our stores were sited, my grandfather had My favorite part of the architecture is the sloped roof, which was intended to look like a ship’s hull. He hung elaborate chandeliers from the ceiling. You’d walk into the store and have this “wow” moment.

to make a strategic decision to move his business to the Interstate. While that wasn’t an easy choice, he took advantage of the move by re-branding the stores with the familiar blue roofs that could be seen from a distance, plus the red and yellow signage. My favorite part of the architecture is the sloped roof, which was intended to look like a ship’s hull. He hung elaborate chandeliers from the ceiling. You’d walk into the store and have this “wow” moment. I love how he created something of beauty in a roadside gas station, showing that good design can be for everyone and found anywhere.

Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?

Sustainability is a three-legged stool: It’s certainly the environment, but also economic and equity/social as well. I’ve had to focus a lot on the economic aspect as I bought the company in distress and operating at a loss. I have a strong background in this area, having served as Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Atlanta, and my commitment to reducing our carbon footprint is strong. But we have to do it in a way that works within our capacity and budget. The most important thing we’ve done is switched to sourcing our pecans—our No. 1 ingredient—100% from local farmers. And we shell the nuts on site in our own plant, with the shells sent to a local paper mill to be used as feedstock for energy generation. We use recycled cardboard in our packaging and displays, sourced from Pratt Industries based in Georgia. And we’ve switched to almost off of our vendors being domestic to reduce the emissions caused by global shipping. All this helps support the local economy here in America, something we really support. Finally, we are aware of the social component and strive to have a diverse pool of vendors whenever we put a job out to bid. And it’s making a difference, our insurance provider is a black owned local business, for example. We hope to hire more talent that reflects the diversity of our community as we continue to grow the business.

With such an iconic brand, what do you want the legacy of Stuckey’s to continue to be?

A big part of how we’re rebuilding the brand is to focus on how we began—as a roadside pecan stand. Pecan based products have been at the core of our business since 1937. We think there’s a unique niche we can fill by becoming the go-to brand for the pecan. It’s among the healthiest nuts, and we aim to expand Stuckey’s pecan products to the snack aisle, baking aisle, and produce department, while still selling our classic pralines, divinity, and pecan log rolls.

As we generate more revenue from the sale of products, my vision is to build a few corporate owned Stuckey’s that would be destination locations and very brand forward. We’ll continue to tell the story of the road trip as we promote our products, because that’s a key part of who we are.

What is today’s consumer looking for?

Consumers are wanting more healthy options, so positioning us more as a nut brand makes sense given the trends towards more nut based diets. But I like to joke that folks like to talk healthy but they still eat candy. Sweets remain a strong category in the retail sector. You will see more folks demanding quality ingredients, so when they do indulge it’s a candy that’s well made with real chocolate and vanilla, not a lot of imitation and crap. We’re paying attention to that and have upped our game with where we source our products. CCR

A big part of how we’re rebuilding the brand is to focus on how we began— as a roadside pecan stand.

One-on-One with... Stuckey’s, Stephanie Stuckey

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list?

Right now, we’re laser focused on making Stuckey’s the go-to brand for pecans in this country, so we’re driving sales in a variety of channels and ramping up our marketing and branding efforts. To grow, I have to reinvent the brand by focusing on what’s driving profit, and that’s the sale of product.

Describe a typical day.

Wake up around 6 a.m., drink coffee and meditate. I do my round of social media posts and draft my to do list. The rest of the day is a mix of meetings, speeches and press interviews. I do a lot of branding and promotion for the brand. I spend a few days every month visiting our factory, our distribution center and our branded stores.

My biggest priority is making sure that everything I do is aligned with selling product, even if it’s giving a speech, telling the story of the brand to a roomful of executives who can buy corporate gifts from us is time well spent. I work out every day, either running, dancing, bike riding or going for a walk.

And I always try to carve out 30 minutes to an hour to finish writing my book. End the day usually reading, right now I’m into Steinbeck and re-discovering, “Travels with Charley,” a classic road trip novel. Tell us what makes the Stuckey’s brand so unique?

Stuckey’s fell out of family hands for decades, was trashed by outside corporate owners, and is now back under our control. That almost never happens. That we got another chance to revive this brand that has a special place in American history is unlike any other brand. I aim to prove that it’s possible to revive Stuckey’s and hopefully inspire others along the way.