Louisiana Sisters, LLC, was started by two sisters, Karen Poole and Sharon Poole Mahne. Sharon and Karen, always talked of starting a company together, so after much thought and the right timing, they decided it was time to take action. They took their family heritage to heart and realized they had something unique. The recipe for their olives is the brainchild of their father, Tom Poole, who for
many years would prepare the olives for family gatherings. The two sisters went to work test marketing their dad’s olives on friends. With great success, it was time to think about putting the olives out for the general public. Karen went to work securing a grant through the SBA, as well as obtaining other documentation required by the state for a new business. Sharon went to work in her kitchen to refine the recipe for mass production. The sisters enlisted their mother, Bernie Poole, who is a wonderful artist, to design a logo for the new company. Bernie did an original water color of the great state of Louisiana with two antebellum girls standing under a cypress tree. In November of 2007 all the preliminary work was pulled together and Louisiana Sisters was born. Getting the production on-line took just over a year. Finally, on February 28, 2009, the first jars of Louisiana Sisters olives were rolled off the assembly line from Louisiana Edible Kitchen in Gonzales, to local grocery stores in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The work crew always consisted of different family members, depending on who was available on production day. Today, everyone from grandparents to grandchildren and those in between, gather on Sundays to produce Louisiana Sisters’ products. Production is now done in a kitchen funded by Goodwill Industries under the name Edible Enterprises located in Norco, Louisiana. Louisiana Sisters Olives were such a big hit that now the family has added two new products: Louisiana Sisters Spiced Tapenade and Louisiana Sisters Pepper Jelly. The goal has always been to create delicious products representing the flavors of their Louisiana heritage that has been handed down from generation to generation and always using the staples of every Louisiana kitchen: garlic, celery, onion, and Louisiana sugar. Louisiana Sisters adds just enough spice to tickle your taste buds and compliment other foods with which it is paired. Because Louisiana Sisters Olives are a water base, no oil or vinegar, it can be used in cocktails or your favorite dishes. At Louisiana Sisters, the spirit of family working together is the basic ingredient of their product. It was built upon a family recipe and together as a family they are proud and eager to share their delicious products. Louisiana Sisters has gone from producing five cases of olives to producing enough products to supply 35 grocery stores and eight restaurants. Louisiana Sisters is hoping to grow into a company that can support employment for family members to work full time in developing their company for generations to come and to be a driving force in community growth and development. Louisiana Sisters is on the move!
