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

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2025-07-09
- Length: 23m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand#t=0) Introduction and Founding Story
- [3:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand#t=181) Farmers Markets and Early Retail Expansion
- [8:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand#t=492) Scaling Operations and Distribution
- [14:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand#t=855) Freeze-Dried Salsa Innovation
- [18:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand#t=1102) Packaging, Logistics, and Retail Strategy

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Salsa Queen (company)
- Costco (company)
- Kroger (company)
- Harvest Right (tool)
- True Earth (company)
- Albertsons (company)
- Harmons (company)
- Amazon (company)

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- [Bonus Episode: Khalil Khamis of Crafty Ramen](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-02-bonus-episode-khalil-khamis-of-crafty-ramen) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#53 Tsubi Soup! Bringing Plant-Powered Gourmet Soup Cubes from Japan to the US](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-07-19-53-tsubi-soup-bringing-plant-powered-gourmet-soup-cubes-from-japan-to-the-us) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Jen Liao of MìLà](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-08-23-founder-feature-jen-liao-of-mila) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#251 - Scaling the Brand: Ops, Systems, and Simplicity with Mezcla and Doss](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-02-251-scaling-the-brand-ops-systems-and-simplicity-with-mezcla-and-doss) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-18-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-1) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-07-09-317-the-salsa-queen-makes-what-type-of-salsa-hear-the-story-of-this-fire-brand. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.