From louisianaweekly.com
Founded by Eric and DeAundra Depradine, Zydeco Meadery reflects Louisiana’s cultural reach well beyond state lines. Though the meadery operates in Massachusetts, the family’s roots in Acadiana and the Caribbean anchor the brand firmly in Louisiana tradition, as detailed in feature coverage by KREOL Magazine, the Boston Globe, and Black Southern Belle.
DeAundra Depradine grew up in Acadiana, where zydeco was woven into everyday life, and the couple met while attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, according to Zydeco Meadery’s company history. The company takes its name from zydeco music, a genre born in southwest Louisiana’s Creole communities.
Louisiana’s rhythmic gumbo of cultures – Creole, Cajun French Caribbean and African – has long resonated through its music, food and festivals. That same blend of heritage is now being bottled in a distinctly modern way by Eric Depradine, owner of Zydeco Meadery, the Black owned craft beverage company that infuses Louisiana identity into honey wine known as mead.
The significance of Zydeco Meadery lies not only in ingredients but in how Louisiana culture expands. From dance halls to kitchen tables, Creole traditions have always adapted and endured. Zydeco Meadery extends that tradition into the craft beverage space.
“We’re proud to create something that honours our heritage while welcoming others to enjoy it,” Eric Depradine said. He is a graduate of UL-Lafayette in history and chemistry and has worked various municipal governments in Louisiana and Missouri regulating federal and local wastewater laws.
The idea for Zydeco Meadery took shape after the couple honeymooned in Washington state’s wine country. The original dream was winemaking. But Louisiana’s hot, humid climate made traditional grape growing impractical. Returning home inspired but realistic, they began asking why they couldn’t produce something equally meaningful using ingredients native to Louisiana. The Depradines turned to mead, one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages made with honey rather than grapes.
Avoyelles Parish’s abundance of wildflower honey made the choice both practical and symbolic.
In Louisiana, they maintained an extensive vegetable garden before moving to Kansas City and starting a farm enterprise. In 2022, the Depradine farm had bee hives and more than 25 cultivars of apples, which was used to make blended apple juice with honey and converted to a delicious alcohol.
The family officially launched Zydeco Meadery in 2024 from North Attleborough, Massachusetts, after Eric graduated from Highland Community College’s enology certificate program. Operated by four generations of the Depradine family, Zydeco Meadery is one of four minority-owned alcohol manufacturers in Kansas.
Despite the geographic distance, Louisiana remains central to the brand’s identity. Many of the meads use Louisiana wildflower honey, and the flavour profiles reflect Creole and Caribbean traditions shared across the African diaspora.
One of Zydeco Meadery’s signature offerings is Carnival Rose, a hibiscus-based mead inspired by sorrel, a traditional holiday spiced drink enjoyed throughout the Caribbean, West Africa and parts of the Gulf South. The drink’s vivid colour and spice infusion of cinnamon, clove, Allspice notes reflect cultural celebrations that span generations and borders. Depradine took his wife’s suggestion to try sorrel mead inspired by his grandmother Ena’s recipe. She was 91 at the time. And today, Carnival Rose is one of their best sellers.
“Sorrel is not just a drink, it’s a cultural anchor,” he said. “Every Caribbean household has memories of making it during the holiday season. Carnival Rose is our way of honouring that tradition.”
Their current mead offerings include variations of seasonal fruit meads, t’ej, an Ethiopian mead, and hibiscus a Trinidadian mead. “”It unites us back to our ancestors in West Africa,” Eric told Caribbean Beat magazine.
Bayou Soleil – which is French for “Golden Bayou” – blends Traminette grape juice with Louisiana wildflower honey from Avoyelles Parish, producing a bright, citrus mead that reflects the couple’s early exposure to German wines like Gewürztraminer and Riesling. The Atlantic Creole uses knotweed honey collected from the rural areas of Massachusetts to produce a semisweet honey wine. At 12 percent alcohol, this mead has a rich, malty, nutty flavour, according to the company’s website. Because meads are made from honey it has more fermentable sugars than grapes, leading to a higher alcohol content than wine.
“Representation matters…We want people to see their culture in what we make,” he said. “We are dedicated to showcasing our culture and heritage through mead.”
Zydeco Meadery has found an audience among Caribbean, Black American, and Creole communities, particularly with the seasonal release of Carnival Rose. The company distributes through select liquor stores, farmers markets and online platforms, expanding access to culturally inspired meads beyond regional boundaries.
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/with-la-honey-zydeco-meadery-pours-creole-culture-into-every-bottle/
