The Tapatío Story: Jose-Luis Saavedra knew a long time ago that he had a hot property on his hands. Born in Mexico City, 85 year-old Saavedra is proof the American dream is alive and well.
Jose-Luis Saavedra made batches of his hot sauce since the late 1960’s in Maywood CA, where he shared it with his co-workers at the local aerospace manufacturer. Initially he rejected pleas to manufacture the secret sauce, but when laid off in 1971, everything changed. Since then, he and his family (a son and two daughters) have created a hot spicy empire!
Fun Fact #1: Tapatío is a nickname for a person from Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco—also where all three of his children were born.
Fun Fact #2: The face of Tapatío depicts a traditional Mexican Horseman and gentleman, showing common features of people who live in the highlands of Jalisco.
Fun Fact #3: So what’s the Tapatío hot sauce recipe for success? Saavedra won’t say. Only his family members are privy to the details. But he will admit to trying hundreds of recipes before settling on the fabulous concoction we know today.
• Hispanization of American Market: Tapatío is the #1 hot sauce among Hispanics while still crossing all cultural boundaries. This is the perfect license to help the lottery industry reach numerous cultural groups!
• Top Quality in a Fast Growing Industry: Tapatío has been recognized as being one of the finest hot sauces on the market today. Hot sauce production is among the 10 fastest-growing industries in the U.S., according to a report from IBISWorld.
• Billions of Dollars Sold Annually: With extremely strong year-on-year growth for over a decade, hot sauce production in the U.S. is predicted to reach $1.3 billion annually by 2017.
• Loads of Face Book Fans: With over 300,000 Face Book fans, Tapatío is quickly becoming a pop culture phenomenon.
• Awareness Through Sales & Products: Partnering with Kraft Foods for distribution in the US and abroad, Tapatío can be found all throughout the food & beverage industry. The Salsa Picante can also be seen on branded products such as sleepwear, apparel, accessories, housewares, home décor, novelty items, publishing, stationary and more.
Tapatío and illustration are the registered trademarks of Tapatío Foods, LLC.
