Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy Hoogeboom and Mike Myers.
Cathy and Mike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Cathy: I grew up in a foodie family in Grand Rapids, Michigan and moved here 16 years ago. I have had a number of careers: Realtor, rhinestone slinger, magazine editor and publisher, and so on. None were ever a super great fit, especially when juggling kids. I have heard for at least ten years “this salsa is really good, you should sell it”. Then one day stars aligned, I got a wild hare and bippity boppity boo, I’m in business!
Mike: I’m from Southern California and from a hot rod family. This is really Cathy’s thing. I built the commercial kitchen and do the business side of things. She’s the creative and wild one, I reign things in and make things work.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Cathy: Well, no. I started a business involving my husband, so essentially giving him another job (he has a day job in Garland), Come to find out, it upped our level of chaos and increased bickering because now we have personal and professional things to annoy each other with. But whatever, it’s still been a fun ride. We are learning. Or I guess I am… how to be reasonable.
Mike: It’s actually been pretty smooth sailing. There have been some snags when getting the commercial kitchen built. I did it myself and had some serious back issues during the build but other than that, and yes, some squabbling, but that’s it. We enjoy working together.
Blended Family Foods – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Cathy: We specialize in all-natural salsas and sauces. We have three year-round standard salsas: Medium Red, which is a lovely smokey “every day” salsa, Avotillo, which is an avocado tomatillo blend, and Firestarter, which is our habanero/ghost chile/Carolina reaper salsa. We rotate some other flavors seasonally, like peach, mole, and pickle. We also have a line of local raw honey. The garlic fermented honey and jalapeño infused honey have been especially popular. I think what sets my products apart is the recipes. I research and research before I even begin developing something because I really want the flavor of all of my products to be balanced. The Firestarter Salsa for example: yes, it is very hot. However, it has actual flavor besides just burning. It was important to me to get the flavor of the chiles in there and not just create an “I dare you to eat this” kind of product.
I’m proud of our products, but I really love when our youngest asks me, every day, if “we are doing our salsa business” today. It’s pretty cool to be able to involve our whole family in building a business.
Mike: What Cathy said. The research and development is intense. The consistency in flavor balance she achieves in every product is real.
And yeah, our whole family is involved, which makes for some fun times. We are pleased to be able to teach our kids how hard work pays off in the first hand.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Cathy: I’m really a competitive person, so that’s a weird question for me. I want to be the best: I want to make the best products I can possibly produce for a reasonable cost for consumers. I want it to be everywhere and I want to die and leave this business as a legacy for our family.
Mike: So, clearly intensity is a running theme in our household. I want this to go as far as Cathy wants. This is really her show, I’m just along for the ride. I’ll help in all the ways I can, but it’s her call. Success for me is when she’s pleased with what’s going on.
Contact Info:
- Website: BlendedFamilyFoods.org
- Phone: 8179013144
- Email: info@blendedfamilyfoods.org
- Instagram: Blended_family_foods
- Facebook: Blended Family Foods LLC
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