OUR STORY
Over a Century of Tradition in Louisiana Dried Shrimp
Our family has been providing quality seafood products since 1912 when our great-grandfather, Leopold Blum, began trading in furs, dry goods, and dried shrimp in the bayou region of South Louisiana. He introduced Louisiana dried shrimp to Chinese merchants in the New Orleans French Quarter, where it quickly gained recognition as some of the world’s finest.
At its peak, Louisiana dried shrimp was in such high demand that we exported 2,000,000 pounds annually to China and the Far East. Our famous trademark brands, Redbug Brand and Baby Brand, have long stood for the highest-quality dried shrimp from Louisiana and continue to do so today.
Leopold’s son, Louis Blum Sr., and grandson, Tommy Cobb, carried on the company’s legacy. Louis, an engineer, revolutionized the industry by inventing the modern shrimp drying machine, which is credited with saving Louisiana’s dried shrimp industry. Rising shrimp costs, evolving health regulations, and competition from the canning and frozen shrimp industries threatened traditional drying operations. Louis’s innovation moved the drying process indoors, reducing drying time from days to hours, eliminating spoilage due to weather, and ensuring a sanitary process. Many of the machines and equipment used worldwide for cooking, drying, shelling, and cleaning dried shrimp were invented and patented by members of our family.
The third generation—Louis Jr. (“Skip”), David, and Leopold (“Lep”)—expanded the business, pioneering new products to meet growing customer demands. Their efforts led to the construction of new, larger facilities in Houma, LA, increasing production capacity by 40% to better serve customers.
Today, Blum’s Seafood Products is run by the fourth generation of the Blum family, continuing the tradition of delivering the highest-quality dried shrimp to our valued customers and distribution partners. We take great pride in our family’s legacy and remain committed to maintaining the excellence that has defined our brand for over a century.
Quality Dried Shrimp is not only our passion, but it is our way of life.