Everyone around the world is familiar with Tony Chachere’s famous Creole seasoning which has been around for around 50 years. The iconic green can of seasoning is the reason the company decided to open up Tony Chachere’s Country Store. The store is located at the company’s headquarters in Opelousas.
The store is in a small wood-frame building that is at the front of the headquarters. The store will sell everything from cookbooks to apparel. This is just the first step to a big project according to Celeste Chachere, the marketing director. The next phase of the project plans to hold a movie theater that will play a film about the history of Tony’s and the Cajon food culture in Acadiana. There will also be a lookout where visitors are able to view production lines.
“It’s been a long time coming for us. It’s a combination gift shop and archive. We’ve got the first copy of the cookbook ever printed and signed by Tony at the cash register, his original cash register from his pharmacy days back in the ’40’s. We’ve got a lot of historical artifacts, and we’re going to be adding to it all the time. There’s a lot more to come,” says Celeste Chachere.
Earlier in 2022, the company added a 40,000-square-foot addition where raw ingredients are stored. They have also added two production lines and an internal mezzanine in the main headquarters. This makes the company the 14th largest private employer in St. Landry Parish with 135 employees.
“From March to May of 2020, all of a sudden rice and spice (sales) were off the charts. In a matter of like five or six weeks, we probably saw business double. We couldn’t get ingredients in fast enough. It was a tough time to be in business, but you have to be really, really nimble. Luckily we were able to meet the demand,” says Chachere.
Todd Ardoin, the creative director, also says that supply chain issues also have dampened the product time. When COVID-19 hit, demand was high but it was hard to keep up with stay at home orders. The holidays this year also saw a big jump in sales for us which will bring in even more employees. Bill Rodier, executive director with the St. Landry Economic Development office, says there is not a lot of employee turnover which is great.
“They’re not content. They’re always looking for ways to grow and new markets for growth. I think it’s amazing for the parish, the fact that it’s one of the most highly recognizable brands in the state of Louisiana in our backyard,” praises Rodier.
