Camellia Red Beans

To be a true New Orleanian, make yourself a pot of red beans and rice made with Camellia red beans on Monday like the locals do. Monday was known as "wash day" in New Orleans so a pot of red beans would be put on the stove in the morning to simmer all day while all the other chores were done around the house. Lucius Hamilton Hayward founded L. H. Hayward and Company in 1923. L. H. was from Meridian, Miss. He moved his family to New Orleans around 1920 and established himself in business as a wholesale supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables. During the 1920's the company served the local grocery stores and the French Quarter markets with produce grown on farms in Louisiana and Mississippi. In 1947, Camellia Brand was trademarked and the first packaged products were introduced. Today, the company packages nineteen varieties of beans, peas and lentils in six different sizes ranging from one pound to one hundred pounds out of their Harahan, LA plant.