SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- The COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on small and local businesses across the country, with many forced to close their doors due to lockdowns.
But for La Boucherie, a family-owned business since 1995, the pandemic presented a lot of challenges, yet the business managed to grow and thrive in 2020.
"We originally got started when my mom and dad had one too many glasses of wine around the pool one night and decided to open up a butcher shop," said Jason Hollier, co-owner of La Boucherie.
The family's original, and much smaller, location closed up to make way for a larger shop now located in Spring off Kuykendahl Road and Louetta Road.
"We might not have grown up with the stuffed boneless chickens, but all of the stuffing (ingredients) are my grandma's recipes," said Barrett Hollier, brother of Jason and co-owner of the shop.
Inside their new location is a meat and Cajun lover's paradise, with freezers packed with bacon-wrapped creations, stuffed with anything from cornbread to crawfish.
You'll find fresh cuts of meat ranging from tomahawk steaks to A5 Japanese Wagyu beef, some of the highest quality meat in the world.
And in the back of the shop, there's a brand new USDA meat processing facility that is a 24-hour operation.
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"For us, business exploded," Jason said of the last year.
La Boucherie is a food supplier for several grocery stores, including some major brands, and when panic shopping set in, their demand skyrocketed to the point that they had to quickly hire more employees, increasing from 40 to 90 people.
"If we had a 400 case order, it turned into a 2,000 case order," Jason said.
Despite the challenges of 2020, the family managed to move into their new location with minimal delays, and is happy to continue to serving Houston their Cajun creations.
For more information, visit cajunmeats.com.
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