Building Something out of Nothing

Today's guest is Oscar Perez, founder of Tio Pelon's Salsita in San Antonio. We sit down at Shotgun House Roasters and chat about the founding of the company and how it all started, his popular recipes and the importance of branding, hitting the pavement and getting into local and national retailers, and how Oscar took his family salsa recipes and created Tio Pelon's Salsitas, a popular local salsa brand with international ambitions. Enjoy.Buzzsprout Link to get $20 Amazon Gift Card:https://w...

Today's guests are Chad and Anthony - founders of Lick Honest Ice Creams. We sit down at Gameday Media Studios and chat about about the founding of the company and how it all started, their chance meeting in New York, moving to Austin and opening their first location on South Lamar, early lessons and the struggles of operating a small business, finding their footing and opening subsequent locations, how they choose their delicious flavors, their brand new Hemisfair location in San Antonio, an...

Today's guests are Matt Dodson and Doug Young, co-founders of Cover 3 in Austin and San Antonio. We sit down at their Anderson Lane location and chat about the origins of the company and their shared history in the restaurant industry, opening the first location and having the Cover 3 burger featured in Texas Monthly, subsequent locations and how they carry their company culture to a new city, and how Matt and Doug combined a shared passion for scratch kitchens and a love for sports and creat...

Today's guest is Michael Kiolbassa, President of Kiolbassa Sausage in San Antonio. We sit down at their production facility and chat about the founding of the company in 1949, Michael's transition to President and his grand ambitions for the brand, the implementation of the open book management philosophy and the myriad of ways that philosophy has improved the company, their commitment to crafting authentic, small-batch smoked meats, and how Michael took a local sausage shop and built it into...

Today's guest is Dennis Rylander, co-founder of Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in San Antonio. We sit down at the brewery and chat about the company's origins and the local brewing scene back in 2010, the unique challenges of opening a combination brewery/distillery, their foray into retailers like HEB and Total Wine, the beer and whiskey varieties and processes, and how a group of friends drew up a business plan over many many beers at The Flying Saucer and founded the Ranger Creek Br...

Today's guest is Tabatha Conarko, founder of Con' Olio in Austin, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about the founding of the company and how it all started, the entire tree to bottle olive oil process, where she sources her ultra premium olive oils, how to tell the difference between fresh and rancid olive oil, the new flagship location out in Bee Cave, and how she went from working in the corporate world to building Central Texas' premier olive oil company from the ground...

Today's guests are Luis and Marsha Morales, founders of Humble House Foods in San Antonio. We sit down at their manufacturing facility and talk about the origins of Humble House and how it all started, their relationship with The Pearl and how they became one of the first vendors at the Pearl Farmer's Market, pivoting the business model from artisan cheese to their signature hot sauces, and how they entered HEB's third annual Quest for the Best competition and wound up hitting the jackpot - g...

Today's guest is Chef Bryce Gilmore, chef and owner of Austin favorites Barley Swine, Odd Duck, and Sour Duck Market. We sit down at Odd Duck in Austin and chat about his culinary background and growing up around food, the origins of Austin's food truck scene and how he started the famed Odd Duck trailer, initial success and the subsequent openings of Barley Swine and Odd Duck, being nominated for 7 James Beard Awards and the impact that has on his team, and what's on the horizon for Chef Gil...

Today's guest is Andrew Sides - co-founder of Lost Draw Cellars in Fredericksburg, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about Andrew's family roots in farming and the founding of the company, the Fredericksburg wine boom and how the industry has grown, how they landed on a location right in the middle of town, the early days of the winery and growing their customer base, getting into larger retailers like HEB and Whole Foods, and how Andrew went from being an Engineer in San A...

Today's guest is Sarah Sauer, owner and maker behind Guten Co. goods in San Antonio. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about Sarah's education in the arts and starting Guten Co., the processes behind her custom letterpress designs and handmade ceramics, building a steady clientele through word of mouth, landing a profile in Texas Monthly in 2017, and how Sarah built her bootstrapped studio into one of the most highly regarded design workshops in Texas. Enjoy.