317 - The Salsa Queen makes what type of salsa?!? Hear the story of this fire brand!

People of Packaging · 9 Jul 2025 · 23m

What this episode covers

Jim Birch, CEO of Salsa Queen, explains how his wife transformed a homemade salsa hobby into a national brand, scaling from Salt Lake City farmers markets to major retailers like Costco and Kroger. He details the operational challenges of moving from hand-filling to automated production and the rigorous requirements of SQF certification and Costco audits. The episode highlights their innovative freeze-dried salsa product, developed using Harvest Right equipment, which solves logistics issues by eliminating water weight and extending shelf life.

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