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About five years ago I, Linda Merz a.k.a. Senorita Merz, created the first batch of salsa. I started with fresh ingredients from my father-in-law’s farm. His small farm had been so fruitful that he could not sell or use all the tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic. As a result, he asked me to do what ever I could to use them. Utilizing these fresh ingredients as well as special spices, a considerable amount of attention and tasting by my husband, Steve Merz, I created the first jars of what has now become known as Senorita Merz Slo-Simmered Salsa.

To utilize the number of vegetables available I had to make several batches and bottle hundreds of jars. Far more salsa than our family could ever have consumed. We gave it to friends, family and got it out whenever anyone came to visit. We did anything to just get rid of it. Our friends, our family, our friends of friends & family loved the taste and wanted more, they "just had to have it". Before we knew it we not only had used all of the jars, but we needed more to satisfy the cravings of what has become our customer base. This is how the business got launched.

To meet the need that we had created by accident, I started SLO-SIMMERING batches of salsa in my kitchen weekly. It grew too big for my kitchen and I had to move the production to the garage where we could utilize even bigger kettles. To satisfy demand, we had onion & garlic peeling and slicing parties just to keep up. The business kept growing, and we had to rent kitchen space from local restaurants after hours, until we finally had to give up the production of the product and have it bottled for us. We got lucky to find a local company, King’s Food Products, who would meet our exact production standards to ensure the quality of the product would not be diminished.

By this time we had built a base of consumers via our friend and family network as well as a network of local (Columbia, IL) stores, restaurants and bars. We then utilized our so-called free time and the help of friends and families to market directly to stores in the greater St. Louis area. We had marginal success at first, but when you have a fantastic product and unwavering belief in that product you generally succeed. In 1998 we added to the family business and let a friend, Mick Crawford and his wife Patricia, join in on the fun. As a group, we kept our ears open, and took action on any leads that presented themselves. As a result, we have had phenomenal growth over the last 18 months, and especially in 1999 (please see "where to get it!" for a list of locations). The growth that we have experienced in 1999 will be hard to replicate, but we will be working hard to do just that, and grow another 230% in 2000.

It is our expectation and our goal to continue to bring this fine gourmet salsa to as many persons as possible. We thank you for your patronage, and if you have any suggestions as to how we can expand our market or provide better service please notify any of us here at Merz Cuisine, Inc.

  Pictures From the Working Women's Survival Show 3/00