After 55 years as a family-run business, the iconic hot sauce brand Tapatio was sold in January to a private equity firm. The transaction marks the end of an era for a company that began as a modest operation in a small Los Angeles warehouse and grew into a staple of American kitchens, ranking as the fifth best-selling hot sauce brand in the United States.
The story of Tapatio is a classic immigrant success story. The company was founded in 1971 by Jose-Luis Saavedra Sr., a native of Mexico City who had immigrated to Southern California. Saavedra was not a chef by training; he worked in the aerospace industry. The business was born from a simple homemade recipe for a spicy sauce that he and his wife shared with friends and coworkers. Tapatiosauce proved so popular that when Saavedra was laid off from his aerospace job, he decided to pursue it as a full-time venture.
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