{"id":579634,"date":"2026-04-12T11:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/579634\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T11:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:13:11","slug":"tapatio-hot-sauce-is-sold-and-has-big-expansion-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/579634\/","title":{"rendered":"Tapat\u00edo hot sauce is sold and has big expansion plans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For 55 years, the family behind Tapat\u00edo has refused to even write down the recipe for Los Angeles\u2019 iconic hot sauce,<\/a> passing its secret formula for success only from lip to ear in closed rooms.<\/p>\n

The Saavedra family put the ingredients on paper for the first time earlier this year as they sold the beloved brand to backers who plan to make their salsa picante even bigger beyond California\u2019s borders. It is a weight off the shoulders of Luis Saavedra, the founder\u2019s son and one of the few people who knew the recipe. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want anyone to know what we were using,\u201d he told The Times in an interview at Tapat\u00edo\u2019s factory in Vernon. \u201cThat always scared my sisters, because what if something happens?\u201d<\/p>\n

Demand for hot sauces had taken off for unexpected reasons just as the Saavedras were looking to sell. The millions of people on Ozempic and other powerful weight-loss drugs often have cravings for more flavor. The values of some sauce companies have skyrocketed. Bachan\u2019s, a Japanese barbecue sauce brand, was acquired<\/a> in February for $400 million. <\/p>\n

While the Dallas private investment firm that bought Tapat\u00edo, Highlander Partners, wouldn\u2019t share the terms of the deal, the company\u2019s new chairman, Jeff Partridge, said it hopes to capitalize on the growing appetite for more heat to splash on proteins. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s GLP-1 or desire for proteins, Tapat\u00edo and hot sauces enhance that experience,\u201d he said. \u201cConsumers are increasingly seeking flavors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red peppers drive Tapat\u00edo\u2019s taste, though the company won\u2019t share which exact peppers are used. The thin sauce uses garlic, salt and other spices for a tangy, peppery punch. It has a mild heat that doesn\u2019t linger.<\/p>\n

\"Luis <\/p>\n

Luis Saavedra, right, former chief executive officer of Tapat\u00edo Foods and son of company founder Jose-Luis Saavedra, speaks with Eric Beatty, the current chief executive, at the company\u2019s manufacturing facility on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The big acquisition is a long way from the brand\u2019s birth in founder Jose-Luis Saavedra\u2019s kitchen more than 50 years ago. <\/p>\n

Saavedra, originally from Mexico City, long dreamed of making his way north. He landed in Chicago in his late 20s, working as a Spanish translator. He met his wife and moved to Southern California.<\/p>\n

He worked at an aerospace parts manufacturer in Los Angeles. The homemade hot sauce he brought for lunch was a hit with co-workers who asked for more. When he was laid off in the late \u201960s during an oil recession, he started selling bottles. <\/p>\n

As sales rose, he rented a small space for production in Maywood and it officially became a business in 1971. The whole family pitched in. His son, Luis, remembers twisting on caps and attaching labels to bottles when he was 13. <\/p>\n

\"Bottles <\/p>\n

Bottles are filled with Tapat\u00edo hot sauce before being labeled at the Tapat\u00edo manufacturing facility on Wednesday. The hot sauce company was recently acquired by Dallas-based private investment firm Highlander Partners.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Saavedra and his son would drive a van up and down Los Angeles, manually packing and unloading the product to local corner stores. Many of the first bottles were stocked in East Los Angeles stores. <\/p>\n

About five years in, the company made enough for Saavedra to quit the two part-time jobs he had picked up to keep the business afloat. Operations remained in Maywood for 14 years before they expanded to a 7,000-square-foot building in Vernon. <\/p>\n

In 1996, the company made its boldest bet, splurging on a 30,000-square-foot building. <\/p>\n

In the same facility today, the strong aroma of spices tickles visitors\u2019 noses. The precise portioning of the secret ingredients, matching the ratios of the founder\u2019s original formula, happens in a room locked off from employees. The magic mix is then rapidly poured into a long line of empty bottles that march along a conveyor belt like soldiers. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the legacy of the founder, who refused to be deterred by naysayers or obstacles to growth, said Saavedra\u2019s son. <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go around it,\u201d the younger Saavedra said, quoting his father\u2019s mantra in the face of problems. \u201cLet\u2019s go under. Let\u2019s go above it.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s stubbornness paid off in court as the company was sued for its name. It was once called Cuervo \u2014 his wife\u2019s original last name \u2014 and tequila giant Jose Cuervo came after it. Saavedra had already trademarked the name in California, so it got a big payout to give up the name.<\/p>\n

Saavedra briefly entertained the name \u201cCharro,\u201d a reference to Mexican cowboys, before landing on Tapat\u00edo, a nickname used for people born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where all three of his children were born. Its logo evolved into a beaming cowboy with bright blue eyes in a wide-brimmed hat.<\/p>\n

The Tapat\u00edo name was also challenged. Del Monte Foods sued Saavedra in the \u201980s, claiming the name was too similar to its brand \u201cPatio.\u201d Saavedra won that case.<\/p>\n

The founding father\u2019s hardheadedness could also sometimes cause trouble. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Luis Saavedra, son of company founder Jose-Luis Saavedra, shows the original Tapat\u00edo label, left, compared to the current version.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The younger Saavedra battled with his father in the late \u201990s about changing the brand\u2019s label to help it stand out on crowded shelves. The old bottles were largely black and white and looked a little outdated. Eventually, the senior Saavedra gave in. Sales skyrocketed. <\/p>\n

Today, Tapat\u00edo is shaken over meals around the globe, though its dominance is strongest in California. It has been used in collaborations with other companies to spike mashed potatoes, protein powder, pickles and ramen.<\/p>\n

Tacked to a wall at the Vernon factory is an old photo of the dozen people who were there to launch the brand\u2019s new facility 30 years ago. Some of the employees still work there, including Jorge Cuervo, the production supervisor, and Fabian Diaz, who mans the forklift. <\/p>\n

Diaz, who moves countless pallets of product, jokes he was born at the factory, having spent almost his entire adult life working for the company.<\/p>\n

Under the new ownership, all 25 current employees were retained, and the firm has committed to hiring more. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been doing this for a long time,\u201d Luis Saavedra said. \u201cThey have a passion for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family began exploring options for a sale in late 2024, right after the founder, now 97, suffered a stroke. <\/p>\n

Jose-Luis Saavedra had remained closely involved in day-to-day operations despite his age, often spending from sun-up to sun-down at the factory. <\/p>\n

As he took on all his father used to do as well as his own workload, the younger Saavedra was getting burnt out and started to worry that keeping the company family-owned could be hurting the brand. <\/p>\n

\u201cWork was really devouring me,\u201d Luis Saavedra said. \u201cIt was a tough decision, very difficult. We cried together as a family, then we said, \u2018In the long run, it\u2019s better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Luis <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a tough decision, very difficult. We cried together as a family, then we said, \u2018In the long run, it\u2019s better,\u2019\u201d Luis Saavedra said of the decision to sell the company.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Once it let potential suitors know the company was in play, the offers poured in. The family considered offers from around 40 companies before choosing Highlander Partners.<\/p>\n

In a few years, the company\u2019s new leaders hope to use the growing demand for flavor triggered by weight-loss drugs to bring California\u2019s top sauce to many more markets east of the Rockies, said Eric Beatty, the company\u2019s current chief executive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that we\u2019ve got these sector tailwinds behind us,\u201d Beatty said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a really good story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Eric <\/p>\n

Eric Beatty, current chief executive officer of Tapat\u00edo Foods LLC, stands next to boxes of the hot sauce that are ready for shipping at the Tapat\u00edo manufacturing facility on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

New leadership has grand plans for the brand, hoping to build more facilities and add new products. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll always be a California company,\u201d Beatty said. \u201cThis will always be the center of the Tapat\u00edo universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Saavedra family still has a minority stake in the company and will continue to help manage it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are the essence of the brand, and really understand the heartbeat of the brand,\u201d said Partridge, Tapat\u00edo\u2019s new chairman. \u201cWe certainly want to make sure that they always have a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For 55 years, the family behind Tapat\u00edo has refused to even write down the recipe for Los Angeles\u2019…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":579635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[254319,4,450,2356,3426,48356,3006,8329,2794,451,4281,254317,15798,3,7240,12973,254318,254320,452,453,2394],"class_list":{"0":"post-579634","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking-news","8":"tag-beloved-brand","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-company","13":"tag-factory","14":"tag-family","15":"tag-father","16":"tag-founder","17":"tag-headlines","18":"tag-los-angeles-times","19":"tag-luis-saavedra","20":"tag-name","21":"tag-news","22":"tag-sale","23":"tag-son","24":"tag-tapatio","25":"tag-tapatio-hot-sauce","26":"tag-top-stories","27":"tag-topstories","28":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}