Keeping Acadiana Beefed Up, The Story of Prejean's Wholesale Meats

Text

It is no secret that in Acadiana, meat is everywhere. Every true Cajun/Creole loves filling their stomach with rice and gravy, fricassee, gumbo, or any other stew. This is thanks in part to Prejean's Meat distribution in Carencro.
Located on Michaud St (right off Veterans), Prejean's is in a large white building with truck bays. They are responsible for a great amount of Acadiana's meat distribution. Molly Stevens spoke over the course of 2 phone calls the timeline of the business. Ralph Prejean opened its doors in 1942 and ran it mostly as a slaughterhouse. In the 1990s, legislative shifts made it much more difficult for businesses to slaughter. Customer preferences also moved toward boxed pork and beef around the same time. In order to stay afloat, Wayne Prejean (Ralph's son and Molly's father) had to adapt to simple distribution.
Over time, Prejean's added several freezers and storage rooms to keep up with their clients. They now bring meat (mostly beef and pork) in from places as far as Kansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky. They organize these shipments and then load their own trucks up to take them around Acadiana. As for the future of Prejeans, we can expect more of the same, Stevens states. They plan on further expansion of the building and a continued flow of meats throughout their facility.
Not to mention, the Prejean family still keeps close to its agrarian roots. They own approx 60 head of cattle in the Carencro/North Lafayette area.
When asked if there was anything the Prejean family wished to tell the community, Stevens said they simply want to thank their loyal clients. She explained that they have had repeat customers for years and with that, they pride themselves on honesty and loyalty. In conclusion, any passerby will hopefully not see this building as a simple warehouse, but as a valuable business that keeps the people of Acadiana fed as well as a historic piece of Carencro’s business sector.

Photos include: The 4 generations of Prejean men (RtoL Ralph, Wayne, Ralph, Peyton); the addition of the "dungeon" (a cooler storage area) in the late 1990s; the sign on Michaud st, and some of their cattle

Work Cited

Molly Stevens, in discussion with author over phone, on 28th February, 2024.

Molly Stevens, in discussion with author over phone, on 11th March, 2024

Pictures of "The Dungeon" and the family have been provided by Molly Stevens via email on 7th March, 2024