BRANCH, La. (KLFY) — A local farm using its own rice to make whiskey and vodka was featured on “Farms of America” on the Cowboy Channel Monday night.

Frugé Aquafarms is a full service seafood company covering major markets in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, which began when Mike and Mark Frugé first started crawfish farming to make money in college.

“We made a little, small 20-acre crawfish pond here on the family land,” Mark said. “And then it just kind of started growing from there.

“We were just trying to survive. At that time, our local economy was devastated. The oil industry collapsed. My dad actually went broke. When I came home one night, my dad was watching television on a generator because the electricity had been turned off, and the house had been foreclosed. That’s where we started.”

Mark said their alcohol brand J.T. Meleck is named after their Uncle John, who started the family farm in 1896.

“In 2019, my brother came to me and wanted to try to make alcohol out of rice,” Mark said. “I thought he was crazy.”

They added a distillery to the farm, becoming the only distillery that produces vodka and whiskey from rice grown and harvested on their own land.

“Most distilleries are just purchasing grain from X-Y-Z supplier. We’re the only one that does all that together,” Mark said. “Traditional, south Louisiana rice and crawfish rotation, you know, they pretty much maintain just farming, that’s what they do. We’ve branched out.”

J.T. Meleck can be found in most chain grocery stores in Louisiana and Texas.

Their feature on “Farms of America” went in-depth on the family farm and distillery’s history.

Mark said they were “flattered and proud” to be chosen for the national recognition.

You can watch their episode here.

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