This episode of Forktales is a spicy one thanks to Doug Renfro of Renfro Foods. Doug and his cousins oversee Mrs. Renfro’s salsas, a brand that has grown into one of the largest salsa names in the nation and the brand with the most unique selection of flavors.
On the menu, Michael and Doug talk about the benefits (and struggles) of family ownership, trend spotting, flavor development and eating ghost peppers for breakfast. Check out the full interview with Doug here.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR START AT RENFRO FOODS.
I worked here as a kid every summer, but after college, I worked at EDS under Ross Perot. When I came (to Renfro Foods) I had been in charge of corporate accounting for a billion dollar company. My uncle was still doing pricing on a legal pad with his desk calculator. I said, ‘Here’s a spreadsheet. It’s going to instantaneously recalculate the cost of thousands of items in a millisecond.’ He saw what that did and he said, ‘Can you do that every 90 days from now on?’”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RENFRO’S PRODUCT?
Mango Habanero. Almost all the items now are recipes I’ve created over the years with my vast lack of culinary training. Mango Habanero, specifically, came from an idea I had after seeing it as a chutney on halibut at a white tablecloth restaurant. I thought, maybe five years from now, we can sell it in grocery stores—and that’s exactly how it turned out. It’s been our number two seller for quite some time.
WAS IT REQUIRED FOR YOU TO SPEND TIME OUTSIDE OF THE FAMILY BUSINESS, AND DID YOU ALWAYS PLAN ON COMING BACK?
My time wasn’t required. Frankly, when I got out of college, if I had come to work here, I would’ve been chopping cabbage. My dad and uncle filled the executive positions, and we were tiny back then. So, I had to go somewhere else if I didn’t want to wear jeans and be covered in cabbage and onions.
YOU’VE SAID FAMILY BUSINESSES AREN’T ALWAYS A SMOOTH ROAD. WHAT STRUGGLES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN RUNNING A FAMILY BUSINESS?
One thing you deal with is that my dad and my late uncle still saw me as the kid in diapers when I started working here. I’d suggest ideas, and they’d say, “Shut up and get back over there.” One secret is to get someone without your last name to suggest the same idea you’ve been pitching, and suddenly, it’s a great idea.
