Today we’d like to introduce you to Edgardo Rodriguez.
Edgardo, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Edgardo (Ed), Rodriguez. I was born and raised in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. I came to the mainland in September of 1998 to attend Spartan College of Aeronautics in Tulsa, OK. After graduating and becoming a federally licensed Aircraft Maintenance Technician, I moved with my wife and daughter to the great state of Texas, and have called it our home for the past 20 years. After a very successful 20 year Aviation career, I decided it was time to finally follow a dream I had been putting off for a number of years.
I have been cooking since I was about 8 or 9 years old, but according to my mother, as soon as I started walking, she could not keep me away from the kitchen counter while she was cooking. However, it wasn’t until coming to Texas in October of 2000 that I really became serious about cooking more refined food, learning different techniques, and trying different ingredients and flavors, smoking and cooking BBQ came along much later. One evening about eight years ago, as I was preparing to cook some steaks for my family, I noticed that I was completely out of steak seasoning, so I decided to just make my own with stuff I had in the pantry. It was so good that from that point on, I kept making my own. As I became more familiar with cooking and different spices, I began to wonder if could create the same flavors by using loose spices rather than premade seasonings. After thinking about it for a bit and doing a bit of reading, I went for it, and the results were great! I started cooking with the blends I created and making small batches that I could share with friends and coworkers for feedback, and always got the same answer, you need to start selling these or open a restaurant.
Well, about two and a half years ago, I felt that the time to follow my dream of pursuing my culinary adventure had arrived, and Spicy Caballero Seasonings was born. I started out with two blends (Big Ed’s Magic Dust Original and Big Ed’s Magic Dust Sweet) in January of 2018 and by May of that year, when we attended our first-ever event at the Rockwall Farmers Market, I had five blends in production. Two years later, I am still handcrafting blends in small batches from my home kitchen in the evenings as I still have a day job, but now, I have a permanent lineup composed of 12 different craft blends ranging from completely mild, to our mouth scorching Texas Creeper. A few times a year, I also create a limited release, which I make with peppers that I grow in my back yard and other locally grown ingredients. In all, I have created and produced close to 20 different all-natural craft seasoning blends since starting my business, some of which were received so well that they ended up as part of the permanent lineup. I did not start this business as a hobby or because I saw other people on social media doing it and thought it was cool. As a matter of fact, I had no idea so many seasoning companies even existed before stepping foot into the industry and becoming involved in BBQ and cooking groups on social media less than three years ago. I started this business because it has been a long time dream of mine to leave my mark in the culinary industry and to share the flavors of our highly underrated Puerto Rican cuisine with the world. I will not stop at seasonings; they are the key to establishing my flavor profile and the beginning of a much bigger vision.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I cannot say it has been totally smooth, but we have been able to work through and overcome every bit of adversity we have faced without difficulty. As a small business started without any capital, money was the biggest factor during the first few months of operation. At times I wondered if I would be able to afford to buy the supplies I needed to stay in business the next week. But, in a matter of three months, the business was paying for itself. I knew I had a good product and felt confident in my skills and ability to create flavor, but never did I think business was going to take off the way it has. I would say the current pandemic is the biggest challenge a lot of us small business owners have ever faced. In our case, all of the big events we were scheduled to attend this spring, summer, and some even in fall have been canceled or postponed until further notice, so that is a huge hit on our revenue.
But, thanks to all of our awesome customers and supporters, we’ve been able to stay financially healthy and striving. Before Covid-19, we were en route to at least double sales for the 3rd consecutive year and well in route to quit my job and work the full business time about a year ahead of my goal. Of course, we won’t hit the numbers we were in route to achieve, but we will still experience growth. It’s still early in the year, though. You just never know! The fact we are a really small family operated business has really helped make it through these times. My wife has helped me in naming and testing products as well as she helps me at every single event and market we have attended to date; really couldn’t do it without her help. Our daughter also helps me out and labels every single pouch of seasonings that comes out of our kitchen, while I use our son as a taste tester. That kids pallet is 20 years ahead of where mine was when I was 12.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Spicy Caballero Seasonings – what should we know?
As a proud Puerto Rican, staying true to my roots and bringing our Spanish Caribbean and Latin flavors to the table has been one of my main goals from the start. However, I am also an adventurous eater and really enjoy trying new foods and ingredients from different cultures. Staying true to my culinary identity and bringing in ingredients and flavors which I have come to appreciate through multi-cultural food experiences has allowed me to create a unique flavor profile which sets Spicy Caballero apart from the rest. My mission is to provide our customers with a full line of unique, all-natural craft seasonings made from the freshest high-quality ingredients available, that they can use to create memorable food experiences for everyone in the family; from those who love bold flavors and spicy foods to those with the most discriminating pallet. Not only do I make these seasonings for sale, but I also make them for my family. Spicy Caballero is what goes into everything we cook in our home from the kitchen to the grill.
In January of this year, we attended our first major event. That was Zest Fest 2020, at the Arlington Convention Center. To my surprise, we were able to enter into the Peoples Preference competition, which allowed for homemade products to participate. After discussing it with my wife we decided to go with Spicy Borikua, a medium heat version of my best selling Puerto Rican style all-purpose seasoning blend “El Borikua.” We were honored to come home with a 2nd place Peoples Preference Award in the spice rub category, competing against several internationally known manufacturers, as well as some other small businesses from all across the nation. That, to me, felt like a win. I must say that it was impossible to hold back the tears of joy. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something I thought up and wrote down on a piece of note pad paper during my lunch break at work would one day compete and perform so well on a stage of that magnitude.
Due to this achievement, I decided it was time to take the next step in growing the business. So, currently, with the help of a local manufacturer, we are in the process of readying some of our blends for mass production in order to go live with online sales, as well as into the retail market. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find some of our products on the shelves of small local retailers in the next few months. For the time being, you can follow our social media page to see where we will be selling on the weekends, or email us through our website for information. You can also find us at the Rockwall Farmers market in Rockwall, TX, every other Saturday from 8:00 to 12:00.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being different and being passionate about what I do are key factors in the success we’ve been able to achieve thus far. The seasoning and spicy foods industry are among the fastest-growing in industries in our country. This means that as a small-batch producer, I am entering a flooded market in which being different or original is the only way to make a name for myself. Shortly after starting, I had the owner of another seasoning company who is from Alabama but is very well known in our area tell me that my Magic Dust Original seasoning was too Latin forward to be considered a BBQ seasoning. Well, I could’ve taken that feedback in a negative way and started changing the way I do things, but in reality it validated that my original blend was exactly what I had intended to create. That was confirmation that my idea of setting myself apart by staying true to my roots was the right way to move forward. Why would I strive to be one more of the bunch when I can strive to be an individual? There is plenty of flavor beyond seasoning salt, sugar, and paprika. Magic Dust Original has remained untouched and has been among our best sellers from the day we started. It is an amazing all-purpose seasoning that anyone in the family can enjoy.
Cooking to me is something very personal, whether in the kitchen or on the BBQ; It is the art of taking a beautiful ingredient and manipulating it with different techniques until it is transformed into what the artist envisions. That is the exact way I think about spices. I am taking a bunch of individual ingredients and blending them together in different quantities until I obtain the flavor profile I envisioned and can taste that I have reached the perfect balance; a balance of flavor which will allow me to respect the ingredient by highlighting its flavor, rather than imposing my will leaving the ingredient unrecognizable. Artists come in all shapes and sizes, some draw, some paint; I create flavor. In my opinion this philosophy is the differentiator. Originality, authenticity, freshness, passion, dedication, and versatility are all characteristics which I want associated with my brand.
Pricing:
- Prices for our products range between $9 and $20. Please message through social media or email through our website for detailed product pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.spicycaballeroseasonings.com
- Phone: 469-929-8704
- Email: spicycaballeroseasonings@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/spicycaballeroseasonings
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/spicycaballeroseasonings
Image Credit:
All pictures are the property of Spicy Caballero Seasonings LLC. In pictures, Edgardo (Ed) Rodriguez and wife Gedyeliz Rios Torres.
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