About Us

The Story Behind Cousins Products - From Ally Cousins

Some of the greatest innovations are born out of necessity, and our line of salad dressings is no different!

When I first began selling my original bleu cheese salad dressing at the farmers market in Mandeville more than 10 years ago, I certainly wasn’t  planning to make it a full-time job! I was just trying to help support the family and pay the bills!

I started out just selling produce from my Father’s farm, but one day I just decided to make some yummy bleu cheese salad dressing to sell along with the fresh vegetables at the weekend farmer’s market. I figured it would help to boost family income and it would be fun, too!

But finances got tight, and the bleu cheese dressing became too expensive for us to produce, so I got creative and turned to the fresh Creole tomatoes and peppers that my Dad had given me from his farm and with a bit of magic in the home kitchen, we created our now famous Creole Tomato Salad Dressing!

The Spinach Vinaigrette came next, which I created based on a special dressing my husband Jack had made me when we first got married.

In the summer of 2005, after a few years of devoting pretty much all of our time to producing and selling these three salad dressings, we formed Cousins Products, LLC. After that, professional logo and label designs followed, along with a professional kitchen (YAY!) and we began selling our product to grocery stores.

Today, we spend our days producing four delicious, premium salad dressings using fresh, local ingredients and a whole lot of passion! As always, our customers are our greatest asset, and we appreciate the privilege of feeding you and your families everyday! Thank you for welcoming us into your homes!

There are no additives in any of our products. They do not contain any added sugar, added salt or added preservatives, just pure goodness!

CREOLE TOMATO SALAD DRESSING is made with locally-grown, farm-fresh tomatoes and fresh garlic.  It’s original and nothing like it on the market.  Use it for more than just salads! It makes a delicious dip for crisp veggies, topping for fresh steamed veggies, a substitute for mayo on sandwiches or in potato salad or shrimp remoulade. It’s also divine as a sauce for crab cakes.

BLEU CHEESE SALAD DRESSING is made with a Danish-imported bleu cheese. Try it on top of a sizzling Filet Mignon or spicy chicken wings, drizzled on wedge of lettuce with smoked bacon, or as a fresh veggie dip. Oh, and of course, on a salad!

SPINACH VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING is made with pure olive oil, fresh spinach, fresh garlic and a special mix of Italian spices.  Because it’s made with olive oil, it is a low-cholesterol, hearty healthy food! It is wonderful on pasta salads with crisp veggies and works great as a marinade, especially for salmon! Use it as a French bread dipping sauce, drizzled over a cucumber and tomato salad topped with feta cheese.  Because it is olive oil-based,  it may congeal when refrigerated, so be sure to shake well before using!

FRESH SALSA PICANTE is made with all fresh ingredients like home-grown tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers. We think it’s delicious on eggs, but honestly, it’s best served with chips and a cold Margarita!