Louisiana-Based Grocery Store Earns National Honor

For people who aren't from Louisiana grocery shopping can seem like an out-of-body experience. Many of the providers of food and other staples for Louisiana families love to showcase that effort in some very unique ways. I would hazard to guess that in almost every Louisiana grocery store right now you'll find a display featuring an oversized boiling pot, some inflatable crawfish, and a mansion built out of cases and 12 packs of beer and soda.

Now the presentation and the stakes get even higher when the grocery store in question is not a nationally-based chain but a Louisiana-centric market. When you get that combination of great selection and low prices from bulk purchases, and items that allow you to always tip your cap to your home state, that's how you find yourself in a Rouses Market.

Rouses has recently opened a brand new store in the Lafayette, Louisiana area. This makes the fourth location of Rouses in Greater Lafayette. The grocery store chain has 63 stores scattered about its footprint which is based mainly in Louisiana but the chain does have markets in Mississippi and Alabama too.

While we in Louisiana have come to know Rouses as a great ambassador for Louisiana and Louisiana-sourced products the stores are also getting well-deserved recognition from their peers. Rouses was recently honored with the Progressive Grocer's 2024 Outstanding Independent Award. The company was honored because of the connection Rouses has with the customers and communities it serves while providing a great selection of items that customers want and need.

During the recent Mardi Gras season it was estimated that Rouses Markets shared the love of Louisiana King Cakes by shipping out more than 10,000 of them. But that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the more than half a million king cakes the company's stores produced and sold to in-store customers.

We should also note that Rouses holds the honor of selling more Gulf Shrimp and boiling more Louisiana crawfish than any other retailer in Louisiana and the Gulf South for that matter. It's this focus on home, hometown, and home folks that has made Rouses a welcome addition to many communities across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

And the company is still growing. We understand that there are five more Rouses currently under construction. If you're fortunate enough to have one near you, I do hope you'll stop in and take a look around and see what even people who don't live in Louisiana appreciate the family tradition of service that Rouses built a business on.