OUR STORY

Hello, my name is Javier Casas, and I am the proud owner of Don Javier’s Salsa. I graduated from high school in Mexico, where I learned the fundamentals of business from the best teacher I could have, my father.

Growing up in Mexico, I was immersed in the world of business. My father ran a grocery store, a tortilla factory, and a large farm, where we delivered tons of animal feed to local farmers. I managed our delivery operations, overseeing a team of ten employees. At the age of 17, I opened my own grocery store, but my ambition pushed me to pursue something even bigger.

In search of new opportunities, I decided to come to the United States, curious to see if the sky was truly a different color, as I had been told. My initial plan was to stay for just a year, but then I met my wife, Gabby, and I knew I couldn’t let her go.

Gabby and I are blessed with four wonderful children, two boys and two girls who all lend a hand in the business during their time off. They are actively involved in sports, including boxing, track, basketball, and soccer. Both of our boys have proudly competed statewide in track for two consecutive years!

In 2004, we launched our first venture, El Amigo Casas, a restaurant in LaSalle. It thrived, allowing us to live the American dream. During our time there, we hosted community block parties for Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. We collaborated with our local high school for fundraisers, featuring performances by the LP band and the Cavalettes, along with live music, delicious food, a beer garden, piñatas, and bounce houses. It was a fantastic way to give back to our community.

We’ve always involved our children in the business, teaching them valuable skills, from dishwashing to waitressing and even working on production lines.

In February 2013, we began selling our restaurant salsa in local grocery stores, and the response was overwhelming. By the end of that year, we were in 20 stores. In October 2013, we closed the restaurant to focus entirely on salsa production.

Today, we proudly supply over 70 stores and have partnered with several distributors, including Hy-Vees, Schnucks, Woodman’s, and Sullivans across Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Being in business has been a true blessing for our family. Our children are learning the same work ethic I gained from my father. As he often said, “The best inheritance you can teach your children is teaching them how to work.”