The McIlhenny family business, which produces the famous Tabasco sauce, is fighting erosion in Louisiana’s wetlands!
The story of the McIlhenny family business and its flagship product, Tabasco sauce, began in 1868 when Edmund McIlhenny harvested his first crop of Tabasco peppers on his wife’s ancestral land on Avery Island, Louisiana. The following year, the entrepreneur developed his famous hot sauce recipe and marketed some 658 bottles for sale in the Gulf of Mexico region. It was an instant and lasting success, as today the iconic sauce, whose recipe and brand image have been patented since 1912, is distributed in more than 185 countries. Still located on Avery Island in Vermilion Bay, the family business has a front row seat to climate change. Both its land and its plant are at the mercy of shoreline erosion caused by hurricanes and flooding. Combining social commitment with pragmatism, the sixth and seventh generations led by Harold Osborn, great-great-grandson of the founder and CEO of the family business, have begun planting marsh grass to protect its plant and seed farms. These efforts to preserve the precious ancestral pepper plants ensure the protection of an entire island culture, but also our enjoyment of spicing up our food and drinks with Tabasco!
Read the article: ‘Tabasco company’s mission: making hot sauce while saving wetlands’
