Chitimacha Tribe Of Louisiana Announces Plan To Expand Raintree Market With Second Location
Baldwin, La. – January 12, 2023 – The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana has announced that it will expand Raintree Market with a second location in Jeanerette, LA. The Tribe has purchased what was Mac’s Grocery Store and plans to renovate and re-open it as a 2nd location of Raintree Market. The new location will be similar to the existing one they own, in Baldwin, LA.
Countice Leblanc, General Manager of Raintree Market, said, “We were deeply saddened for the Jeanerette community after learning that Mac’s Grocery Store had been destroyed by fire. Mac’s was the only grocery store in Jeanerette. After it was destroyed the community had nowhere to buy their much-needed provisions and daily needs. I knew we needed to do something for the community there. They needed a grocery store!” Leading the expansion is Chitimacha Tribal Chairman, Melissa Darden. “We could not leave our neighbors in a bind! Many people who do not have cars used to walk to Mac’s. It was the anchor of the community due to its location and what it provided. We have a very successful model with our very own Raintree Market. It was a no-brainer; we could fill a need for our neighbors and expand an already successful business model,” said Melissa Darden.
The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana is hoping to have the 2nd location of Raintree Market open and accessible to the Jeanerette community by spring 2024.
About Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana is a federally recognized Tribe. Our current home is the Chitimacha Reservation near Charenton, Louisiana; although we once occupied about one-third of what is now Louisiana, as some of the original inhabitants of the Atchafalaya Basin, Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast. We are a sovereign nation governed by our Tribal Council. Our government operates similar to other governments, providing services to enrolled tribal members and infrastructure for our community.
Today, the tribe has many enterprises, which include: Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel, Raintree Market (a full-service grocery market), Raintree Village (a master plan development property), Keta (a holding company), Tiya Support Services (a governmental contracting company), Sitimaxa ( a holding company), Wayti Services (a governmental contracting company), Colorado Professional Resources (a technical support company that supports U.S. Department of Defense agencies), and Tiya Construction Services (a construction entity). In addition, the tribal government has its own police department, fire department, health clinic, pharmacy, museum, cultural/historic preservation office, elderly assisted living facility, housing program, scholarship program, etc… Revenue, from its business entities, has allowed the tribe to operate these programs and also to purchase land in the surrounding area, which at one time was held by the tribe. The tribe is one of the larger employers in St. Mary Parish and contributes economically to the parish via tax revenue, which supports parish entities.
