Business News

Parish Parcel offers ex-pats a taste of home

by Kailey Broussard

“Cajun culture is something that we should be packaging and distributing to the world.”

Photos by Robin May

Ex-pat Acadianans and tourists enthralled by local culture can now have a piece of Louisiana delivered monthly to their doorsteps.

Parish Parcel is a Lafayette-based, monthly subscription service that slings out Cajun spices, music, apparel and more. It’s not the first Cajun delivery service in the market, but Russo says her service boasts a more eclectic offering.

Parish Parcel joins the ranks of subscription services such as Louisiana to Geaux, which launched in 2015, and Cajun Crate, which is scheduled to launch in August or September. According to its website, Parish Parcel concentrates on parishes as opposed to general Louisiana fare.

Subscribers have the option of receiving the standard or “Lagniappe” box. The latter includes “a little something extra” such as a Louisiana-themed T-shirt for an additional cost. The box can be ordered on a monthly, 6-month or 12-month prepaid subscription.

Jaci Russo

The subscription gives nods to Cajun natives in territories without Louisiana’s savory spices and sauces. Co-owner Jaci Russo says the idea spawned from her own cravings when she moved to Los Angeles after leaving college at then-USL.

“It made me realize that Cajun culture is something that we should be packaging and distributing to the world,” she says.

Russo says the subscription provides monthly rations to people yearning for Cajun flair as well as gives Louisiana companies a chance for expansion. Since the website went up on June 13, Russo says the company has received a “steady stream” of takers from both in and out of state.

Likewise, she says Parish Parcel will add on companies to the current list of suppliers including Reve Coffee Roasters, Walker and Sons and Bernard’s Honey.

With premiere boxes shipping out in July, the subscription’s first featured parish is Acadia, with an array of items such as a “must-have seasoning,” jambalaya mix, a Louisiana-themed cookie cutter and a pecan pie-and-chocolate-flavored coffee.