Necessity is the mother of invention, so the saying goes. And while it may be a quaint adage it’s as true as ever today. Whether it’s brewing a better homeopathic cough syrup or designing duck hunting garb for female duck hunters, local entrepreneurs are building successful startups around products that the market was crying out for.

Tincture time, with Andrea Leyerle from Andi Lynn’s Formulary

Andrea Leyerle is a Baton Rouge-based entrepreneur who has created an online and retail nutraceutical business, Andi Lynn’s Pure and Custom Formulary. The company started out in 2010 in Andrea’s kitchen, where she began making her own version of elderberry syrup, which is known for its cold- and flu-fighting properties. In the years since, Andi Lunn’s Pure and Custom Formulary has expanded into a variety of homeopathic and natural remedies, as well as that are sold not only on line but in more than 150 retail locations in eight states. It’s an impressive story for an entrepreneur who has previously worked as a massage therapist, an instructor at Clarion University in Oil City, Pennsylvania and the co-founder and organizer of a health food co-op. Andrea, such a great story and great company. Thanks for being here today on Out to Lunch.

Emily Degan – blazing a trail for women hunters

Emily Degan is a local entrepreneur whose company, Saint Hugh, makes functional and fashionable clothing for women who like to duck hunt . Emily herself is a duck hunter, and was frustrated by ugly camouflage suits that didn’t fit properly, so she created her own line and named it after Saint Hubertus, an 8th century bishop who is the patron saint of hunting and one of the first advocates of humane hunting. That was September 2015. Today, her company has grown to include not just duck hunting gear but fishing and hiking-oriented products as well, all of which are sold online. Emily is a native of New Orleans, who majored in German and worked as a consultant for Deloitte & Touche before venturing out on her own.

Emily Degan, Andrea Leyerle, Stephanie Riegel, Out to Lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard

Photos taken taken over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard by Karry Hosford.  Here’s more lunchtable conversation about niche markets.