Three Louisiana brands, three paths to growth

Before Slap Ya Mama seasoning landed on grocery shelves in all 50 states, and eventually reached markets as far away as Dubai, the Walker family mixed its seasoning in a glass pickle jar at its Ville Platte convenience store. As Business Report writes in its latest issue, what started as a homemade blend sold in cheap salt-and-pepper shakers for a dollar has grown into a nationally distributed brand.

Three decades later, Slap Ya Mama remains 100% family owned and operated. But the Walkers aren’t alone in facing the question of what comes next. Other established Louisiana food brands have reached the same crossroads and taken very different paths.

Community Coffee remains in the Saurage family more than a century after its founding, but the company has deliberately separated ownership from day-to-day leadership, bringing in executives with experience at companies such as General Foods, Kraft Heinz, Amazon and TikTok.

Louisiana Fish Fry went further, passing from family ownership into private equity. Since then, the company has invested in equipment, personnel and product development while expanding its national footprint, all while keeping nearly 90% of its products in production at its Baton Rouge facility and about 180 of its 200-plus employees in the area.

Three brands. Three approaches to the same challenge: How do you grow a homegrown company without losing what made it special?

For the families and executives behind these Louisiana staples, the answer comes down to different ideas about ownership, leadership, investment and what the future of a homegrown brand should look like.

Read the full story from the latest issue of Business Report.