Air Freight · Coast to Coast
Louisiana Crawfish to the East Coast
Live and boiled Louisiana crawfish air-freighted from our Plaucheville plant to New York, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia. Parboiled ships with no dead loss.
The East Coast has no commercial crawfish supply of its own. Buyers there are sourcing from Louisiana or they aren’t sourcing at all — and Louisiana accounts for roughly 96 percent of US crawfish sales, per the LSU AgCenter. We ship live crawfish and boiled crawfish east by air freight, farm-direct from our own ponds and farm alliances across the state. Crawfish tail meat is frozen product; frozen freight is difficult to move by air, so it travels by refrigerated truck through a carrier instead — ask us and we will work it out.
New York Metro
New York is the largest crawfish market on the East Coast, and it pulls from two directions at once: Asian grocers and seafood markets across Flushing, Sunset Park and Manhattan, and a Viet-Cajun boil restaurant scene that has grown steadily over the last decade.
The logistics work in your favor here. Delta — one of the four airlines we’re approved to ship with — runs nonstops from New Orleans to JFK, Newark and LaGuardia, so product can leave our plant and be on the ground in New York the same day, with no connection to add risk or hours.
Washington DC & Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia is one of the densest crawfish markets in the country and one of the least served from Louisiana. Eden Center in Falls Church is the largest Vietnamese commercial center on the East Coast — roughly 120 shops and restaurants built up over four decades — and boil houses operate inside it alongside the groceries and pho counters.
That is a concentrated, year-round buying community sitting more than a thousand miles from the nearest pond. We air-freight live and boiled crawfish into the DC metro for wholesale accounts, out of New Orleans and with connections through our Houston and Dallas routes when the schedule calls for it.
How Air Freight Works
Approved shipper on four airlines
We’re approved air freight shippers with American, Delta, Southwest and Alaska. We typically ship out of New Orleans (MSY), and can also ship from Houston (IAH) or Dallas (DFW), since we already run trucks to both.
Airport to airport
Your shipment moves on a commercial flight and you or your carrier collect it from the airline’s freight terminal. We don’t ship door-to-door by parcel carrier — that isn’t workable for commercial volumes of live product.
Two to three days’ notice
Plan on two to three days. Once we’re in a rhythm with a regular account and supply is steady, one to two is usually workable.
Volume that covers the run
We don’t publish a minimum, because a sack count isn’t what decides it. What matters is whether the shipment covers getting a truck and driver to the terminal — volume and price together, not either one alone. Tell us what you’re after and we’ll tell you quickly whether it works.
What Ships East
Boiled crawfish — no dead loss on a long haul
Parboiled in unseasoned water and rapid-chilled at our plant, cased by the 40 lb. On a lane this long it’s often the smarter buy: the product is already cooked, so there’s no live transit to survive and no dead loss to claim. It also ships unseasoned, so your kitchen re-therms and seasons it however you like — which is how most boil houses want it anyway.
Live crawfish
Washed, hand-sorted and re-sacked at our plant, precision weighed, and iced for transit — not field run. Seasonal, generally January through July.
Crawfish tail meat — arranged separately
Hand-picked, cleaned, vacuum-packed and frozen under a HACCP-certified process, under our Deshotels Crawfish Farms brand — available year-round, independent of live season. Frozen freight is difficult to move by air, so tail meat to the East Coast would travel by refrigerated truck through a carrier rather than on a plane. If you want tail meat out east, call us and we’ll work through the logistics with you.
Who We Ship To
Ju’s Crawfish Company is a farm-direct wholesale crawfish supplier, and on the East Coast we serve seafood distributors, Asian grocery and restaurant accounts, seafood markets, boil houses and restaurant groups — from Boston and New York through Philadelphia, Baltimore and the Maryland suburbs, Washington and Northern Virginia. If you move volume and want Louisiana crawfish, call and tell us what you need.
Shipping to the West Coast instead? See our California page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you ship Louisiana crawfish to New York?
Yes. We air-freight live crawfish and boiled crawfish to the New York metro for wholesale buyers. We're approved air freight shippers with American, Delta, Southwest and Alaska, and Delta runs nonstops from New Orleans to JFK, Newark and LaGuardia — so product can leave our plant and be on the ground in New York the same day. Crawfish tail meat is frozen product, and frozen freight is difficult to move by air, so it would come by refrigerated truck through a carrier instead — ask and we will work it out. Call 30-CRAWFISH (302-729-3474) to talk volume and timing.
Do you ship to Washington DC and Northern Virginia?
Yes. The DC metro — and Northern Virginia in particular — is one of the strongest crawfish markets on the East Coast, and we serve it as a farm-direct wholesale crawfish supplier, air-freighting live and boiled crawfish there for wholesale accounts. Frozen tail meat is available too, though it would come by refrigerated truck through a carrier rather than by air. Call 30-CRAWFISH (302-729-3474) and we'll work out the airport and schedule that fits you.
How does delivery work on the East Coast?
Air freight is airport-to-airport: your shipment moves on a commercial flight and you or your carrier collect it from the airline's freight terminal. We don't ship door-to-door by parcel carrier — that isn't workable for commercial volumes of live crawfish.
What about dead loss on a shipment that far from Louisiana?
It's the right question, and it's why a lot of East Coast buyers take boiled rather than live. Our boiled crawfish is parboiled in unseasoned water and rapid-chilled at the plant, so it's already cooked when it ships — there's no live transit to survive and no dead loss to claim. It arrives cased by the 40 lb, and your kitchen re-therms and seasons it however you like. Live ships too, washed and sorted and iced for transit, but boiled takes the risk off the table.
How much lead time do you need?
Plan on two to three days. Once we're in a rhythm with a regular account and supply is steady, one to two is usually workable. Call 30-CRAWFISH (302-729-3474) and we'll build a schedule around your delivery days.
Is there a minimum order to ship east?
We don't publish one, because a sack count isn't what decides it. What matters is whether the shipment covers getting a truck and driver to the terminal, and that's volume and price together — a smaller order at the right price can work where a bigger one at a thin price doesn't. Tell us what you're after and we'll tell you quickly whether it pencils.
Is there crawfish caught on the East Coast?
Not at commercial scale for the boil market. Louisiana accounts for roughly 96 percent of US crawfish sales according to the LSU AgCenter, and East Coast buyers are sourcing from Louisiana or not at all. Louisiana's live season generally runs January through July and peaks March through June; crawfish tail meat is HACCP-certified, frozen and available year-round.
Shipping crawfish to the East Coast?
Call and tell us your volume and delivery days — we'll work out the airport, the schedule, and whether live or boiled fits your operation better.