You’re probably familiar with the saying, “Nothing personal, it’s just business.” People use it as a justification for doing something that’s going to advantage them, to the detriment of someone else. The underlying assumption is that wise-business-decisions and personal feelings are opposites.

There’s nothing more personal than taste. So, how wise is it, when launching a business, to base the whole company on your personal taste? That’s exactly what both of Aileen’s guests on this edition of Out to Lunch have done.

Scott Shea and his two partners launched Cousin’s Smokehouse  because they wanted to eat better tasting jerky. They wanted jerky that tasted like it was made in Acadiana, not like the generic stuff you buy at the gas station. In this case, Scott’s bet on personal taste paid off. Today, you can get Cousins Smokehouse jerky at 600 locations, including all of the Rouses’s supermarkets in Louisiana.

Kim White launched her business, Bulldog Pepper Jelly, because she couldn’t find pepper jelly that was spicy enough for her taste. So she started making her own pepper jelly. Spicy. The way she liked it. The next thing you know, Kim was making 250 jars of pepper jelly – a day. Kim’s sister, Cindy, liked the taste of Kim’s spicy pepper jelly and joined her in making it in commercial quantities.  Today, you can find Bulldog Pepper Jelly at all of the Rouse’s supermarkets as well as high-end food markets in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Photos at Marcello’s Wine Market Cafe by Gwen Aucoin.