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Meet Jorge Guerrero of Maria’s Salsa Company in Boyle Heights

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorge Guerrero.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jorge. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started in the late 90’s my mom Maria and dad Miguel were working for a local grocery store. The store was promoting the newly installed Tortilla machine and the task was to give samples of the tortillas. My mom realized that she could not just give a simple tortilla as a sample and decided to make salsa to go along with it. Soon the clients were asking for the salsa to be made and sold. My mom quickly asked for permission and the owner gladly granted it. This was short-lived as my mom became ill and was no longer able to work. This is when the owner asked me if we could process the salsa at home and sell it to his store? I understood that this was not the only store he and his family had and was convinced of a great business we had in our hands. I presented this opportunity to my family and we were off to the races. I believed that this was a way for us to retire not only my mom but dad as well. Fast forward to today, we have both my parents retired and still taking care of them. We no longer make the salsa at home and have a small size distribution. We have met great business people and learned a ton. Still not where we want to be and trying to achieve new goals.

Has it been a smooth road?
We knew that business was not going to be easy or smooth. The struggles we have encountered are Losing property, Lots of money and whole batches of salsa. These things we knew we would encounter along with the constant egotistical NO’s when offering our products. We understood that all we needed was to find the right people to help distribute our products. Unfortunately, we also encountered some bad people who tried to copy our products and others who simply looked took advantage of us. We truly believe that all of this has helped us grow as people business owners and try helping others in their business journey.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We specialize in the production of Mexican style Salsas. We proudly make products that help our clients remember their humble upbringings back when their parents and grandparents made this very common but delicious sauces to accompany their meals. The fact that we do not take shortcuts nor do we use low-quality materials to process our products is the reason that sets us apart from others.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The place is a great to start out as it is very close to the Down Town Market that sells all the vegetables needed. I would however move to nearby Vernon in the commercial side or as far as Pomona. These locations would be a better fit as a more industrial place for food processing. This is a great place to start as we did.

Contact Info:

  • Address: 2920 Whittier Blvd.
    Los Angeles, CA. 90023
  • Website: mariassalsacompany.com
  • Phone: (323)269-0789
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Instagram: Maria’s Salsa Company
  • Facebook: Maria’s Salsa Company
  • Other: Maria’s Salsa Co. Inc.

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