Louisiana

How a Crawfish Company is Casting a Wider Net With the Power of Performance Max

An interview with Avery Smith, CEO and co-owner of Louisiana Crawfish Company, a family-owned and operated company that ships live crawfish from Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Four images of Avery Smith, CEO and co-owner of Louisiana Crawfish Company, a family-owned and operated company that ships live crawfish from Natchitoches, Louisiana.
3 min read

The Louisiana Crawfish Company really didn’t start as a master plan. We had some crawfish ponds on our family property, and my dad had a buddy on the East Coast from Louisiana who really missed our food, so they decided to find a way to get crawfish out there. With some trial and error, they eventually succeeded through air cargo, and with my dad's entrepreneurial nature, they saw a business idea there. Some of my earliest memories are on the crawfish boat, sorting the crawfish, baiting the traps, or just riding on the front, letting my feet hang in the water, not a care in the world.

Justin, who’s now my husband and our COO, was the first boyfriend that Dad approved of when I brought him home from college. As our relationship grew, our wheels started turning as we thought about his family’s farming background and my family’s business background. One day, I came home from school and declared that I wanted to take over the family business. We got a few laughs out of it, but at some point, that turned into some real conversations. Not long after, Justin and I decided to move back home, finish school at the local university, and start working in the business.

We started with the most basic tasks, like making shipping boxes and putting together spice packs. That evolved into so many different roles throughout the years—from inventory management to HR and payroll to finances—and once I had learned everything, Dad trusted me to become CEO. Through it all, he has taught me so much, but I think the most important thing is grit. His famous words are, “if it was easy, everyone would do it.”

Google has been a huge part of our business for over 20 years. In the very beginning, the company was geared toward doing wholesale for seafood markets and restaurants, but as technology changed over the years—most recently with the introduction of AI—it opened doors for different types of business and connecting more with the end consumer.

We began advertising with Google in 2002, and all the tools and platforms help us run more smoothly, connect with our customers more easily, and engage with our community. Search and Shopping ads help us reach our customers, and AI-powered Performance Max allows us to cast a wider net.

This is especially important given our short season—it's crucial to get as much visibility as possible. Rather than managing separate, time-consuming campaigns, Performance Max uses Google AI to automatically deliver and optimize ads across multiple touchpoints—including Search, Shopping, YouTube, and Display—all from a single campaign based on our specific goals.

Avery Smith, CEO and co-owner of Louisiana Crawfish Company

We’re already seeing great returns on our investment this year; in our first month of peak season, for every $4 spent, we’re getting $5 back. During the holidays, Google Ads are a lifesaver. Most people only think of us for crawfish, which are out of season then, but Google Ads help us get the word out about all our other products, like turduckens and Cajun meats.

If I had to pick one word to sum up being a family business owner, it would be legacy. It's crazy to think about this one idea my dad had that started all of this. There are still so many years to come, and we hope to continue innovating in this industry, thinking of new ways to take it to the next level. Knowing that we are leaving an opportunity for the next generation, should they be interested, makes it all worth it.