SAN ANTONIO – A local couple credits the San Antonio community for helping their salsa brand grow, from selling their products at the Pearl’s Farmers Market to now being available on H-E-B and Walmart store shelves.
“You should have seen where we started,” Luis Morales told KSAT.
Morales began making cheese in his parents’ kitchen while working as a chef at a restaurant at the Pearl. His wife, Marsha Morales, was a hostess.
In 2008, Luis Morales said he took a risk by selling his cheese at the Pearl Farmers Market on a full-time basis.
“So we started the business with my last paycheck from Il Sogno,” Luis Morales said. Marsha Morales added they also used her college savings.
They transitioned from selling homemade cheese at the Pearl Farmers Market to offering pesto and hummus. The couple also conducted live food demonstrations, opened a café during the market and operated a restaurant inside Pearl’s food court for 30 days before the COVID-19 pandemic forced its closure.
Most recently, they landed their salsa on H-E-B shelves during its open call, “Quest for Texas Best.”
Fast forward to now, they have 11 employees with their manufacturing facility in San Antonio for Humble House Foods.
The Morales said they have leaned on San Antonio to learn about the manufacturing business.
“San Antonio is a really good hub for food manufacturing,” Luis Morales said. “Most people don’t know that, but I mean, Pace was started here.”
Of course, he said it’s been vital to keep products local. Luis Morales told KSAT that they have a farm in Poteet, adding they buy their products from multiple farmers.
This year, the couple has taken their salsa to Walmart shelves.
“We’re doing anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 bottles a week,” Luis said.
Their products are now in 285 H-E-B stores and over 400 Walmart stores, which they describe as surreal.
The couple stated that they don’t hold college degrees. They attended San Antonio College for music, with Luis eventually going on to the Culinary Institute of America at the Pearl.
“I don’t have an accounting degree,” Marsha Morales said. “I happen to be good at math, but I learned everything I have from YouTube videos.”
They credit their success to the San Antonio community for supporting the couple all those years at Pearl’s Farmers Market.
“We literally shook hands and talked to every kind of person from every country, every nationality, every language,” Luis Morales said. “We got to know people in general.”
The couple grew up in San Antonio as military brats, adding that military connection has been another reason for their success.
“Because of the military, like, you know, you or someone you know, knows someone else that’s been wherever you wanna go,” Luis Morales said.
“There’s that interconnected network,” Marsha Morales said. “That kind of spans the globe.”
The Morales hope they can inspire other locals who work in the hospitality industry and have a side hustle. They believe San Antonio is a place where one can thrive.
“San Antonio is special,” Luis Morales said. “And I think that’s because of the military, because we have so many people here, and one thing we all agree on is we love food, and we love the party.”
