Our Story: Delivering Louisiana Flavor to America
From a small warehouse in Lafayette in 1999 to over 800,000 feasts shipped nationwide, explore our 27-year journey of bayou family stewardship.
When You Leave Louisiana, You Miss the Food First
Anyone who has grown up in south Louisiana understands that food is not merely sustenance—it is our culture, our language, and the centerpiece of family life. Sunday dinners mean iron cauldrons bubbling with rich dark roux, the crackle of green pecan wood in smokehouses, and the lively banter of a backyard crawfish boil.
When Louisianans move across the country for work or school, supermarket shelves outside the bayou offer pale imitations labeled “Cajun style.” In 1999, our founders set out to change that forever: pack genuine boudin, smoked sausages, roux, and seafood directly onto sub-zero dry ice and deliver authentic flavor to doorsteps in all 50 states.
Milestones Across Three Decades
An Early Ecommerce Vision
Company founder Charlie Hohorst III was inspired by the power of the early internet while observing the Tabasco web presence at McIlhenny Company, realizing that online ordering could bring genuine Louisiana food to Cajuns who had moved away from the bayou.
Cajun Grocer Launches in Lafayette
Charlie Hohorst III, his father Charlie Hohorst Jr., and a small, dedicated warehouse team launched the business in Lafayette, Louisiana as the premier one-stop online market for authentic Louisiana food.
📰 The Washington Post (June 16, 1999): Featured 'On The Fridge' as the nation's premier destination for mail-order Cajun staples.
Turducken Craze Goes National
As national curiosity around Louisiana's legendary three-bird roast exploded, Cajun Grocer became America's primary source for USDA-inspected handmade turduckens, shipping tens of thousands of holiday feasts on dry ice across all 50 states.
📰 The Wall Street Journal (2004): 'Poultry in Motion' highlighted Cajun Grocer's innovative cold-chain fulfillment.
Food Network & National Recognition
Featured on Food Network's 'Unwrapped: Turkey and Trimmings' and documented by the Official Google Blog as a model for connecting regional artisan food producers with nationwide fans.
Preserving Authentic Smokehouse Recipes
Expanded partnerships with heritage smokehouses including Savoie's, Comeaux's, Poche's, Richards, and Cartozzo's Bakery, ensuring small-town Acadiana producers retain access to a national audience.
The Heart of Louisiana Food
Operating with advanced dry-ice logistics, temperature-monitored packaging, and an expansive catalog spanning fresh boudin, live and boiled crawfish, turduckens, and Creole pantry staples.
Supporting Independent Louisiana Makers
We are proud to partner directly with independent family butchers, bakers, and spice makers throughout Acadiana:
Generations-old dark jar roux, pork tasso, and smoked andouille.
Award-winning boudin balls, crawfish pies, and specialty smoked meats.
Heart-of-the-crawfish-capitol coarse andouille, ponce, and boudin.
Authentic New Orleans braided Mardi Gras King Cakes shipped fresh.
Taste 27+ Years of Louisiana Tradition
Packed with pride on commercial dry ice and delivered cold to your table.