Pellet Pitchers Knotty Wood Barbecue Company invents a new use for old almond trees BY Jennifer Fergesen | PHOTOS BY Hector Amezcua
Between Sept . 1 , 2019 , and Aug . 31 , 2020 , nearly 39,000 acres of almond orchards were removed in California , according to the Sacramento-based research firm Land IQ . That ’ s millions of trees , most aged out of productivity , dug up by their roots to make room for new plantings . At best , the old trees are ground into chips and sold to a power plant ; more often , they are burned in the field .
“ It was a terrible business model ,” says Spencer Defty , who started the Woodland-based construction company Diamond D General Engineering with his wife , Laura , in 1992 . ( The couple also owns Sterling May Equipment Company in Woodland .) Diamond D , which has a large agriculture portfolio , is frequently called upon to remove old orchards . “ We always felt like , ‘ Well , why are we not using this for something else ?’”
An idea came from the Deftys ’ biggest pastime : hosting barbecues at their ranch in Woodland through their nonprofit Patriots for Veterans , which aims to build a support system for veterans through outdoor excursions , unit reunions , scholarships and other opportunities . At their largest event in 2012 , they fed about 800 guests , including 200 veterans of World War II and the Korean War . Almond wood is their main source of fuel for the barbecues , not only because it is plentiful , but “ because the smoke is just considered some of the best ,” says Spencer . Aficionados say it has a sweet , nutty aroma that imparts a subtle flavor to anything on the grill .
But almond wood chunks , chips and splits were already on the market . One thing the barbecue world lacked was almond pellets , a compacted form of wood that can be used in special grills and smokers for steady , regulated heat . Seeing an open niche , the Deftys built a mill and launched Knotty Wood Barbecue Company , the first purveyor of “ field to BBQ ” pellets , in April 2020 .
It was an unlucky time to pitch a new product . Retailers who promised
to stock the pellets pulled back after the pandemic shifted shoppers ’ priorities . To bypass the middleman , Knotty Wood focused on e-commerce and posted Instagram ads that offered 10 pounds for $ 10 with free shipping — essentially a free trial . The product has been gaining steam in the online barbecue community , where home pitmasters debate its merits on Reddit and YouTube .
“ The challenge continues , but we ’ re overcoming ,” says Spencer . “ We feel like we have a very compelling story and that we ’ re the only company that has a chain of custody on the raw product to the finished product .”
Family is a large part of that story . Every bag of Knotty Wood pellets is printed with a photograph of Spencer , Laura and their three children : Watson and Ryland , both 24 , and Shae , 20 . All three are or have been involved in the business . Shae is director of marketing , Watson is assistant manager , and Ryland helped build the mill before he left home to train to become a paratrooper in January .
“ After being around the veterans and the nonprofit and growing up as a child around it , he just felt a real calling and a duty to the country to go and serve ,” says Spencer , adding that he is “ 90 percent sure ” Ryland will eventually come home to work in the family businesses again .
Diamond D and Sterling May are also family affairs . The latter is run by general manager Morgan Defty , Spencer ’ s nephew , and when Spencer and Laura retire , they say they ’ ll give the next generation the opportunity to take over . Laura , whose first job was in her father ’ s construction company , says her favorite part of owning a family business is her ability to foster the careers of the people she cares about .
“ We ’ ve always told our kids to follow their dreams ,” she says . “ And we ’ re just lucky right now that they ’ ve chosen to work here . … But they know that if this wasn ’ t their dream , that we ’ d support them in whatever they want to do .”
Jennifer Fergesen is assistant editor of Comstock ’ s . Online at jcfrgsn . journoportfolio . com and on Twitter @ jenniferferges1 .
October 2020 | comstocksmag . com 39