Baldwin, La. (November 5, 2025) — The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana has announced a grand opening date for Raintree Market’s second location in Jeanerette, Louisiana; Wednesday, November 19th 2025. A ribbon cutting and ceremony to celebrate the event will be held at 10:00 AM.
The Tribe purchased Mac’s Grocery Store shortly after it was destroyed by fire in June of 2022. The original plan was to renovate and re-open it as soon as possible. However, due to the extensive damage from the fire, the original store could not be saved. At that point, the Tribe decided to make a stronger investment in Jeanerette and build a completely new store from the ground up. The new location will be similar to the existing one the Tribe owns, in Baldwin, LA. “From the beginning, the Tribe’s goal was to help the people of Jeanerette, who had lost their only grocery store,” said Melissa Darden, Chairman of the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana.
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! I could not be more proud of the state of the art grocery store and deli that we have built here!”
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 Darden.
The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana and Raintree Market will be hosting an official Grand Opening on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. A ribbon cutting and ceremony will be held at 10:00 AM outside the new Raintree Market in Jeanerette, located at 1001 East Main Street, Jeanerette, Louisiana 70544.