October 2, 2024 — If you were friends with Kristen Preau in 2010, you probably got a box or two of her Jambalaya Girl-brand seasoned rice mix as a gift for your birthday, or for Christmas, or for no reason at all.
That’s because when Preau launched her business, the smallest batch she could order from a local food manufacturing company was about 1,000 boxes — and this was before she’d built up a base of customers.