#184 Salsa Should Be Thick - Richard Rhodes, Red Pony Salsa

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

“It’s hard to find a good tasting salsa that doesn’t look like spaghetti sauce”, says Richard Rhoades, founder of Red Pony Salsa, Clearmont, Wyoming, our guest today. Roughly 30 years ago, Richard planted around 30 different types of peppers in his garden, the impetus of creating a great salsa. Adding to his tomato crop, Richard experimented with other sauces and whatever exotic spice or vegetable that was on hand. However, moving to a commercial salsa meant he needed to focus on the ingredients that were accessible and in quantity. Jalapeno peppers and serrano peppers were abundant and Richard liked the flavors, so he spent about five years playing with the recipes until he got to a salsa to his liking. Richard then shared his concoction with friends and one in particular was Craig Johnson. Craig is the author of the novel, Longmire, which was turned into a Netflix series. Craig urged Richard to begin selling commercially and that was the start of the business. How those two met is a story in itself. Richard has always been an avid hunter, which had brought him to Wyoming at the age of 17. From there he had opened a Taxidermy studio in 1980, and also began outfitting hunters from the mountains to the open prairies. His personal hunts have taken him to Europe, Africa, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, and several US states. Craig had initially visited Richard as a customer of Richard’s taxidermy and outfitting shop and their friendship began. It was in 2015 that Richard began to produce the salsa on a commercial scale. Richard had gotten his label with ingredients certified by Colorado State University and had things lined up. Right away, the product line grew. To avoid the spaghetti sauce look and keep the salsa thick, Richard drained the salsa of excess liquid. But he found the juice was so good he couldn’t throw it away. At that point, the makings for a Bloody Mary Mix was created. So at this point, Richard had everything nailed down for the salsa and mix, ready to produce and bottle. Everything except a name. Then one night, after much debate, and many Rainier and scotches, Craig's wife Judy, suggested he use the Red Pony name, from Craig’s books, and the company was set to launch. Originally, Richard made all the salsa but of course, ramping up volume meant larger facilities. He began with a co-packer in Denver who became too expensive. He then moved to one in California who was great but Richard’s company was too small for them to work with. He’s now talking to two others, one in California and one in Florida in order to have one on each coast. Such is the life of a foodpreneur. Red Pony Salsa is available in many stores in Wyoming and starting to branch into other states. Red Pony Salsa has three flavors, mild, medium and hot, plus the Red Pony Bloody Mary Mix is all available online at: https://www.redponysalsa.com/. Follow Richard on FB: Red Pony Salsa

Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
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Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch