Finest Catfish on Earth!
At Guidry’s we buy our catfish from 40 of the most respected and trusted farmers in the catfish industry. We are also a vertically integrated processor in that we own and operate our own catfish ponds. With the most recent farm purchase being in May of 2014, Guidry’s now owns and manages roughly 1,200 acres in a region of the Mississippi Delta known for growing the finest catfish on Earth. Our farms employ only the most experienced and knowledgeable individuals who maintain the same high quality standards that are set at our processing facility in Louisiana. We are very involved in the day to day operations of our three catfish farms, visiting them weekly.
Our fish are transported in specially built live-haul units so they arrive healthy and unstressed producing a premium catfish product that is tender and white!
Our quick freezing process ensures that all of our frozen products taste just as tender and mild as our fresh Catfish.
We have formulated the perfect blend of cornmeal and secret seasonings so that your Catfish come out of the fryer crispy, golden, and delicious! Find more value added products in our catalog.
Many of our fresh, frozen or value added products can be purchased in bulk. Find out more information in our catalog, visit our retail section today!
Our History
Guidry’s Catfish, Inc. had its beginnings in 1975 in the delta wetlands of the Atchafalaya Basin where Bobby and Debbie Guidry first placed catfish traps as a means of earning extra income. In 1976, after doing thorough research on the catfish industry, Bobby Guidry took a step into the future and began processing U.S. farm-raised catfish.
Processing out of a 20’x20’ building, the Guidry’s, along with a handful of family members and several close neighborhood friends, would work all day and into the night to process the 4,000 or so pounds of farm raised catfish they had trucked in each day.
A lot has changed since those days and Guidry’s now employs over 180 people and operates out of a 100,000 square foot state of the art facility. Some things, however, have remained the same. Dedication to excellence, providing, consistent premium U.S. farm-raised catfish products at fair prices, and building and maintaining strong customer relationships; these founding principles have been and continue to be the practices that drive Guidry’s Catfish, Inc.
Our Facilities
Guidry’s 100,000 square foot processing facility and cold storage is located at 1093 Henderson Hwy. in Henderson, Louisiana. Our facility uses a combination of state of the art machinery and specially trained individuals to process catfish on 11 production lines. Our processing equipment is some of the latest available in terms of technology and processing technique. We can monitor and adjust certain aspects within the production process and programs alert management when there is a problem or error somewhere on the production line. This allows for better portion control and a more consistent sizing of our premium catfish cuts.
The whole production process, from live product to packaged (fresh or frozen), can takes less than 30 minutes. Now that is FRESH!
Our Quality Process
Providing only the highest quality catfish is extremely important to the Guidry’s. In order to ensure Guidry’s brand catfish is of the highest quality, we have put in place a detailed system of checks and inspections our catfish must first pass through. Our QC process begins way before the fish arrive at our processing facility and continue even after the fish are sold to consumers and loaded on trucks for shipment.
Every load of freshly-harvested catfish that we process here at Guidry’s has first passed several rounds of quality control testing and flavor checking to ensure only the best tasting and healthiest catfish get the Guidry label. So, after passing three separate flavor checks, we purchase our catfish and dispatch one of our specially trained truck drivers who will be transporting the live catfish from the pond to our processing facility. We are the only catfish processing facility that hauls 100% of its live fish for production. Our specially designed live- haul units provide a stable environment for the catfish during transport. As a result, our fish arrive healthy and unstressed yielding white and tender fillets.
Guidry’s processing facility is inspected by the USDC as well as the FDA and operates within the strict HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) guidelines. The stringent HACCP program, put in place by the FDA, helps to identify and control areas within the catfish production process which could pose a biological, physical or chemical threat. Guidry’s employs an on-site certified HACCP coordinator who monitors, updates, and carries out Guidry’s working HACCP plan, as well as Guidry’s thorough SSOP (Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures) plan. Our SSOP plan is carried out before, during and after the production process and involves inspections geared toward safe and sanitary practices of employees, as well as inspections on processing machines and other items used in and around the production process.
We take our commitment to quality and our responsibility to produce a safe product very seriously. We even stake our name on it! Guidry’s brand is a brand you can trust and depend on for superior taste and quality!
Look for Guidry’s premium catfish products in your local grocery store, deli or seafood market. Our mild, sweet tasting catfish comes prepared in a variety of ways and can be purchased fresh, frozen, breaded or marinated.