SoCal-based company Tapatio celebrates 50th anniversary

VERNON, Calif. - Adding spice to our lives for 50 years, a local family owned company is celebrating a milestone. 

Luis Saavedra runs the Tapatio Hot Sauce company located in Vernon. His father started the business 50 years ago based on a family recipe that took off once he started sharing the flavored spicy sauce with coworkers at lunch.  

After hand making batches and bottling the sauce individually, slow growth and a loyal customer base has made Tapatio one of the best sellers in the hot sauce wars.  

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The family says the secret is in quality ingredients and a quality product. 

A bottle of Tapatio is even in the Smithsonian museum for its impactful label depicting a happy man from Guadalajara as a positive image of Mexicans. 

Saavedra’s daughters also work for the company and he says he hopes they’ve learned that hard work and dedication pays off.  Now the global brand, available in more than 25 countries, will live on with the next generation of Saavedras and they say they will never skimp on quality and care in what they produce.