We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Schultz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
Mato Tomato Girls began as a way to support my daughter Selah with her hopes to attend 4-H Camp. I taught her how to bake when she was 5 years old and we began to really push for her to make something great out of it when she was in 4th grade. 4-H Camp was her goal and she met the goal above and beyond! After seeing herself achieve what she set out to do, she was inspired to continue on and begin saving her earnings for the future.
I was so very proud of her striving to reach her dreams!
We began searching for free vendor and farmers’ markets around San Antonio and outlying smaller towns. Selah also attended vendor markets in Helotes, where she sold out at each event.
We made the jump into being a true farmers’ market when my home garden produced more than we had hoped for. I took our urban homestead produced veggies and fruits to the market alongside Selah’s bread, and everything sold! We were all thrilled.
Little by little, we began adding more items to our inventory and now boast a list of over 290 items that we offer to our customers. From canned goods like pickles, salsa, jam, jelly, and fruit butter, to spice, soup, and rice mixes…we boast a lot of great products! We also now feature several hand crocheted items like Plushie Animals, Baby Toys, Hats and Ear Warmers. Selah is still baking and also learning to can every item we make. I am still growing as much produce as possible with land I’ve co-leased from a friend.
Our business has grown leaps and bounds from where we first began. We now have three contract employees working at our home and 10-15, depending on the season, that work at our co-leased land. It is a good thing this growth has happened for our business. Mato Tomato Girls is now the sole income for our family after we lost our husband and daddy in May of 2022.
I wish we could have started the business earlier or pushed for a leap in growth sooner. I do not wish to go back though, as God’s timing is the best timing of all. His plan is greater than my wishes. In the beginning of our business, we were weekly trying to make ends meet as a young family. The income from Mato Tomato Girls helped pay the smaller bills. It took us moving to Devine, TX, to be able to expand the business. We are now living on 10 acres where the farm fresh eggs can be easily grown with no limits as to how many poultry we are allowed to house. Country life is grand!
The personal and business connections we have made since moving to Devine are priceless. Our loyal customers have become family. We are blessed with the best friends because of this business. I believe God’s timing has happened just as it should. We are beyond grateful.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I like to call myself a Jill of all Trades. There are many things I love to do and even more that I do well. One of these things is making connections with other vendors. I love to network and talk to people to learn what drives them in their business. It is quite important to have great connections in our industry. Each vendor or farmers’ market we attend is a new opportunity for us to grow our network. During this growth, I have been able to help other small businesses get started, work out the kinks in their businesses, and help create their unique brands.
We help take the guess work out of sourcing locally grow food. Part of what I love to do is gather quality products to sell in our business. When I don’t produce enough okra in the year, I turn to a farmer friend that also grows quality, organic produce. When our customers are wanting a good source for local, raw honey, I source the BEST local honey from a young man’s small business and keep that gorgeous honey well stocked! We listen to what our clients wants and needs are, and then adapt what we offer to suit their wishes.
In all the making and sourcing we do, I pride myself in finding quality items that will best suit the needs of our local area. We aren’t set up to sell mainly online like some retailers. Our specialty is getting to know our customers and meeting each need, if at all possible. This is what we pride ourselves in! Knowing and loving our people is what we do best of all. We could make all the things, but if there isn’t a grand connection with the people who come through our doors or booth space to shop, then we have failed.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In May of 2022, my husband passed away. It was a shock to say the very least. At the time I believed I would not be able to continue with my business without his helping hands. He was our work horse who did all the heavy lifting for our market days we attend. After attending the first market after his death, I realized quite quickly that things had to change in a big way for me to be able to continue doing business as Mato Tomato Girls. So the kids and I have adapted how we do our every day life at farmers’ markets and vendor events.
In the beginning, we learned how to condense everything down to just the bare necessities to take to market. We downsized to one 10’x10′ booth space instead of our previous 10’x30′ booth space. We learned how to load the truck properly, stopped using the small trailer to haul things to and from markets, and worked together every week. Did I mention that my kids are now 15 and 11 years old?! They are such great help to me and truly work the business alongside me every day.
After losing my husband, we made do with less, we made hard decisions, and we worked hard.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In July of 2022, my son had a terrible accident. In the middle of the night, he fell from his bunkbed and fractured his skull. Micah had to undergo a craniotomy to save his life and now lives with a Traumatic Brain Injury and all the problems that go along with TBIs every day.
We closed up shop for a week during his hospital stay and then slowly reopened. We adapted our daily lives once again. I found a sitter every Saturday for Micah while Selah and I attended the market days. He cannot be in the heat or sun much at all.
We have grown and changed so much in 2022. We now have an enclosed trailer and I can back it up much better than I ever dreamed I’d be able to do. We have all learned hard lessons but we have never quit.
We didn’t stop.
We couldn’t stop.
Mato Tomato Girls is what pays the bills and puts food on the table.
We will continue to produce and source quality products for our customers, as long as possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.matotomatogirls.com
- Instagram: @matotomatogirls
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MatoTomatoGirls