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A survey conducted by the Public Policy Research Lab of LSU’s Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs sought to discover how those outside the state view Louisiana.

When the survey results were published in May, it was clear that if Louisiana has anything going for it, it’s food. (Thankfully, Britney Spears was surprisingly low on the people-you-know-from-Louisiana list).

More than half of the people surveyed—55%—couldn’t name a product made in Louisiana. But those who could gravitated toward the culinary world. Spots two through five were occupied by hot sauce/spices (12.7%), other food (11.4%) and seafood (5.5%).

Respondents were also asked to rate aspects of a visit to Louisiana on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means “does not describe Louisiana at all” and 10 means “completely describes Louisiana.” Great food (8.9) edged out great music (8.7) as the highest-scoring categories on the scale.

So it’s not surprising to see several familiar names in Louisiana cuisine land on the Top 100 Private Company list as they branch out and become nationally recognized brands.

Henry Norman “Cap” Saurage launched Community Coffee (named in honor of his friends and neighbors) nearly 90 years ago at a Baton Rouge country store. He eventually left groceries behind and focused on the coffee business.

It proved to be a wise decision. Today, Matt Saurage—Cap’s great-grandson—leads the company, which has grown to more than 1,000 employees and is the 25th-largest private company on the list with $120 million in revenue.

And it certainly has outgrown its local customer base. Community Coffee’s Web site offers an assortment of products for customers nationwide and maintains a strong regional presence in the Southeast in grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants, touting its Louisiana roots.

“Louisiana is known for great flavor, and so is Community Coffee,” says Greg Shwarz, director of marketing for Community Coffee. “It is a natural tie.”

Raising Cane’s Louisiana ties are less noticeable in its product, but as the chicken-finger restaurant expands throughout the country, it keeps its cultural roots running throughout the company. “It’s not an overt-type aspect” with marketing, Cane’s spokesman Juan Simoneaux says.

Each restaurant in the chain displays the story behind Cane’s founding by owner Todd Graves, including how the company got its start near LSU. Cane’s, which jumped from 10 spots to No. 42 on the list with more than $77 million in revenue, also celebrates Mardi Gras as a company.

The oil bust a couple of decades ago may have been bad news to most of the state and continues to have far-reaching effects even today, but in a way, it helped Tony’s Seafood/Louisiana Fish Fry products grow. “A lot of people who moved out in the 1980s helped spread the word,” says Bill Pizzolato, the company’s co-owner and CEO.

Pizzolato’s father, Tony, founded the company in 1959 as a produce stand. It didn’t take long for the focus to change to seafood; by the 1980s, 50,000 pounds of crawfish could be sold on a busy day.

The company now has a presence in 40 states, and it ranks No. 85 on the Top 100 list with revenue of $33.7 million. The fish fry and other seasoning aspects of the business were grown largely by including samples in customer seafood orders. Now the company is starting to make its presence even more widely known with billboards and other advertising in places such as Dallas, Houston and Kansas City. “We’re starting to do a lot of marketing outside the state,” Pizzolato says.

Listen to Chef John Folse, and there’s little denying his Louisiana ties, so it may be a surprise that about two-thirds of his product sales are from out of state (one major exception are his bakery goods, which are about 90% in-state sales). “It all started local as most companies have to do, especially if you’re a single owner like myself,” Folse says.

Chef John Folse & Co. started out with Folse making gumbo for local groceries stores kind enough to offer him shelf space. The products branched out more and more as store managers who liked the product were relocated and word-of-mouth spread. Folse’s manufactured food products were helped by being picked up by Gulf Coast casinos and eventually ones in Las Vegas. “It’s taken 15 years to create a national presence,” he says.

SEAFOOD WONDER: Bill Pizzolato, CEO of Tony's Seafood, is starting to do a lot of marketing outside the state, advertising in cities such as Dallas, Houston and Kansas City.

Louisiana’s reputation for good food has also proven to be a huge help for Folse. Companies outside the state seeking authentic regional cuisine are more frequently looking to Louisiana for the products. This helps Folse compete against larger, older national food companies.

SLOW COOKING: Two-thirds of Chef John Folse's product sales are from out of state. 'It's taken 15 years to create a national presence,' he says.

“They have years of credibility,” he says, “but we have flavor and authenticity on our side.”