Our story
In business since 2014, sold across the Southeast and beyond, and quickly becoming a household name.
- 1984
The dream begins
Tony was seven, and his family were regulars at Houston's best Mexican restaurants. The salsa stuck with him. A few years later, after moving to Phoenix, he realized he could make it himself. Watching his mom chop fresh vegetables and mix them into a flavorful sauce shaped his idea of what salsa should be.
- 2006
An entrepreneur takes shape
With a decade of restaurant work behind him, from dishwasher to general manager, Tony's entrepreneurial ambitions started to grow. Drawing on soul food, Creole and Tex-Mex, he cooked for family and friends with plans to open his own restaurant.
- 2010
The salsa is born
A hungry friend stopped by after hours, and with the kitchen closed, Tony pulled together what he had, including fresh salsa. Two bites in, his friend called it the best salsa he'd ever tasted. Tony's focus shifted from food service to product development. After a year and a half of market research, he perfected the recipe and named it for himself and for “Tejas,” which means Texas in Spanish and friend in Caddo, a Native American language.
- 2014
Three gallons, sold out in an hour
Every co-packer Tony approached wanted to add chemical preservatives, which defeated the whole point. While searching, he found The Market at the Square in downtown Mobile. The market's directors set him up at The Market on the Hill at Lavretta Park, where three gallons sold out in an hour. Soon Tony's was in eight farmers markets. Demand outgrew his kitchen within six months. Beverley Ann's Mild Blend (for his mom, who found the original too hot) and Caliente (for the daring) were born this year.
- 2015
Into stores
Tanner's Pecans and Candies of Mobile became Tony's co-packer, with owner Danny Foxx and his crew keeping up with demand for what everyone was calling the World's Best Salsa. Bebo's Spring Hill Market became the first retail home in February, and locally owned grocers in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida followed. Whole Foods discovered the salsa in May. By year's end it was in four Whole Foods Markets from Mobile to Nashville.
- 2016
Going regional
Tony hired and trained his own production team, protecting quality while keeping costs down. Sixteen more Whole Foods stores signed on, with deliveries handled by the “professional cooler wrestlers” of the sales team.
- 2017
Refrigerated van, new packaging
After Tony fell out of a van in Chattanooga, the company bought a refrigerated van, ending the cooler wrestling and opening up the Carolinas. Tony's grew into 35 more Whole Foods stores and six more local retailers in Alabama and Tennessee. A packaging redesign cut the retail price by 39%, making the salsa more affordable for everyone.
- 2018
A Southern Region distribution deal
Tony secured a distribution deal with the Whole Foods Market Southern Region, expanding into 42 stores plus 20 more local retailers across Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
- Next
What's ahead
A co-op of organic farmers to source ingredients directly and make the World's Best Organic Salsa. A wider line of fresh salsas, dips, seasonings, sauces and snacks. And through parent company Ingram Family Corporation, organic farming, restaurants and logistics, all built on a business model that weighs its effect on people as heavily as its bottom line.
Making the world a better place, one cup of salsa at a time.