In 1912, Leopold Blum and Shelley Bergeron went in together to the dried shrimp business, on nothing more than a handshake. At the time, drying shrimp was the only way to preserve protein-packed Louisiana shrimp for transport.
One century later, Blum & Bergeron, Inc., continues to supply RedBug Brand Dried Shrimp to cities across America.
Louis Blum, Jr., at the Blum & Bergeron, Inc. warehouse in Houma, Louisiana.
“If you’re in business 100 years, you have a lot of junk,” explains Louis Blum, Jr., 61, as he navigates around the office, pointing out the portraits of his grandfather and Shelley Bergeron.
With its cypress frame, belted ceiling fans, and tongue-and-groove pine floor, the Blum & Bergeron, Inc. warehouse on Main Street in Houma, Louisiana, has changed very little over the last century. An exhibit at the nearby Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum attests to the fact that air-conditioning and refrigerators are the only two real upgrades for the building.
Age-Old Process Has Withstood Test of Time
Back when deliveries were made by boat, it was the ideal location. Now, being in the downtown district is more of a hindrance than a help. Main Street is a little tight for delivery trucks.
“The mechanics have changed, but the process has not,” says Blum.
Shrimp — fresh off the boat — are still boiled then laid flat to dry.
“Used to be the sun would do all the work,” reflects Blum, sharing a photograph of shrimp spread across a seemingly endless wooden drying platform.
These days, shrimp are spread across modern conveyer belts and passed over central heaters to dry. It’s more efficient and more sanitary.
An Innovative Idea
Eventually, co-owner Bergeron came up with a way to improve the next step of the process. The invention of the mechanical shrimp beater, which removes the heads and shells of the dried shrimp was a significant advancement for the industry. Bergeron and Freddy Chauvin patented the contraption. A small-scale model is displayed in the Blum & Bergeron, Inc. warehouse.
“We use everything,” Blum says with pride. The dry, dehydrated shrimp shells are ground into a dust called shrimp meal. According to Blum, it is high in protein and used most commonly in fish food. Nothing goes to waste, especially if it can help the bottom line.
“The key to our future is finding new markets,” says Blum. Like many other American businesses, he’d like to export to China like his grandfather did before World War II. However, Blum also hopes to introduce younger American generations to the fully cooked, ready-to-eat convenience of dried shrimp.
For a century, through wars, depressions and hurricanes, Blum & Bergeron, Inc. has survived because of its innovations in the mechanics of processing dried shrimp. But the cornerstone of the process has remained the same — fresh Gulf shrimp straight off the boats of Louisiana fishermen.
“Without them, we don’t have anything,” says Blum. “Without them, we couldn’t have made it 100 years.”
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I suspect you know it by now, but if not, I’ll mention that you should be getting a whole bunch of customers for dried shrimp, among other things. I first became aware of this product years ago in Asian grocery stores. I bought and ate a LOT of it over the years. About 5 or 6 years ago, the asian dried shrimp started to taste “funny” or more correctly stated; it was TASTELESS. It looked good but there was no flavor. Why? Well I’m pretty sure that the product coming out of Asia is now being raised in aquaculture ponds just like the ‘tiger shrimp’ that i’ve come to detest. I stopped buying it.
Then I find out that Cajuns have been snacking on this stuff for years –HOOOAH!
My faith in humanity has been restored. I’ll be buying up a bunch.
Yours for tickled tastebuds and a heartier state economy.
J.W.
P.S. The real point? I’m not the only one: a lot of people out here on the left coast have figured out that ANYTHING coming out of Asia is likely to be bogus. For True!