We recently connected with SalsaQueen Zapata and have shared our conversation below.

SalsaQueen, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I found myself newly divorced and needing to provide for my 7 children. Since I had no work experience and never even finished high school, my options were limited. I’ve always had a passion for food so I decided to try salsas. First, my boyfriend at the time (now husband), would do Facebook posts offering salsas. We’d spend the weekends meeting people in parking lots throughout the valley to exchange money for salsas. Once I knew there was demand, then I decided to go into area farmers markets. They were great since they really helped me to fine tune my salsas. By the end of the season, I had 4-5 solid salsas that customers loved. I was able to get them into some neighborhood stores and spent my free time doing instore sampling to build up the customer base. We quickly became the top salsa brand in those stores. The following year, I was able to get into larger chains and we’ve just kept growing since. We’re now in nearly 1000 stores across 25 states!

SalsaQueen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I immigrated from Mexico when I was 17. We were illegal so I never finished high school. My first child had leukemia so I spent months and months at the hospital with him and that’s really where I learned English. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of just 19-months. In Mexico, ‘Day of the Dead’ is an important holiday where we remember loved ones who have passed on. Sugar skulls are very prominent for this holiday so when we were thinking of a logo for our salsa business, it made sense to use the sugar skull to remember my son and family in general.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

With the early growth of the company, I had to bring in a business partner to manage the operations. He did help grow the business, but it came at a high cost. I found myself marginalized in the business I had started. It was a very frustrating and dark time for me. Fortunately, my husband suggested and helped to negotiate a buyout. As a result, I really have felt a freedom and ownership that had eluded me. This also required a change in our business model. Instead of being a small, regional producer, we moved into distribution which has had its own set of challenges.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I started my business with $3000 from a tax refund. I had the choice to either spend the money on a vacation with the kids or investing it into a business, which I ultimately did.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.salsaqueen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salsa.queen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshSalsaQueen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/salsa-queen/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SalsaQueen