by RENEE PATRICK Cascade CBN Feature Writer
Prima Salsa is spicing up the local food movement with their fresh handmade salsas, and the family recipe is tantalizing taste buds around the high desert.
The family owned business can trace its origins up founder Teresa Jordan’s lineage, “Mexican food has been around all my life,” she explained. “It seemed like salsa was always on the table. My great grandmother made salsa, my grandma and mother also made salsa and it was available in the refrigerator on any given day.”
Her cousin Esther in particular had an incredible recipe, “We raved about her salsa when we came over to eat, telling her that she should sell it!” Teresa exclaimed.
The impetus for bringing her family’s special combination of fresh ingredients to Central Oregon happened in 2003 when Teresa moved to Bend from San Diego. “I didn’t think I would have a problem finding good Mexican food, let alone good salsa,” she said. “I remember going to a local restaurant for breakfast and asking for a side of salsa with my omelet. The waitress brought a small cup of salsa for us, I was not impressed! I told my business partner Greg that I can make a better salsa than this!”
Following that experience Teresa and Greg brainstormed, researched business opportunities and purchased a food processor. All their ideas and plans hovered in their minds until 2011 when they felt it was time to take action.
“Over the course of several months of study, determination and perseverance, we were ready to introduce Prima Salsa,” Teresa said, but first they needed graphic design, containers, sealers, licenses, insurance, product tests and a commercial kitchen.
So far the Jordans haven’t had a challenge they haven’t been able to Google. Though starting a business in the food industry was a new endeavor, the power of the internet has helped them dive into the research and learn from others who share their experiences.
Teresa reached out to Janet Sackin of Mother’s Baked Goods to find a space to make the salsa. By renting space in Mother’s kitchen, Jordon and her son Wes finally had the most important step of the process nailed down. It was time to get to work.
Teresa and Wes produce enough salsa to stock the local markets, using primarily fresh ingredients. She stressed the importance she places on consistency of ingredients to ensure the product will be the same each time a customer purchases their products.
In August 2012 Prima Salsa first appeared in Newport Market. Through regular sampling in the store their medium salsa was a hit, and later Teresa released a hot and mild version.
“One of the blow your mind times happens when we are sampling at a store and someone comes up with our competitor’s salsa in their cart, then they take it back to the shelf after they taste ours,” Greg commented. “We would love to grow the market into the rest of Oregon, then we will need to look at other factors like transportation and refrigeration.
“The number one challenge is understanding the consumer, the buying process,” he continued. “There is a history for what people buy, they consider the price, look and flavor. Part of the challenge is determining what they are picking and why. The only way to crack that is do in store sampling. If they try it, they might consider buying it.”
The Jordans sample Prima Salsa weekly at local stores. “Newport says Prima Salsa is selling more than the other flavors,” Teresa said. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback.”
Currently both Teresa and Wes work at Safeway, but she would love to be able to work full-time on her business. “Bend is loaded with entrepreneurial opportunities, our local network definitely has made a huge difference.”
“We haven’t been challenged in our capacity yet,” Greg said. “We meet market demand and increased sales 400 percent in a year.”
Prima Salsa can be found at Newport Market, Whole Foods, Food 4 Less, Erickson’s Thriftway and C. E. Lovejoy’s Market. 541-728-1710, http://primasalsa.com.
