Lisa Vigil and Lorraine Alderette finally did it.
“We’ve been trying to work together for 20 years,” Alderette said.
After fits and starts and separate careers in areas that have nothing to do with food—natural gas and construction management—the cousins are making salsa and giving profits to charity.
And if a recent interview with the duo is any indication, they’re having a ton of fun in the process.
They named their Aliso Viejo-based venture, Estolia’s Food Products, after their late grandmother, Estolia Santana.
The Business Journal recognized their efforts with a family-owned business award at its annual luncheon ceremony at Hotel Irvine (see related articles, pages 1, 3, 6 and 8).
Pairing Up
Estolia’s efforts started by going to the dogs.
At “Race for the Rescues” last year, a fundraising run to connect animal lovers with potential pets—Vigil and Alderette sold 200 jars of a roasted salsa asado that Vigil had made via her for-profit salsa company, but this time, all proceeds went to the charity.
Organizers were later “bombarded with requests” for more, they said, and their unique co-enterprise was born.
Estolia’s now has four salsas supporting a cause apiece:
• Salsa Asado for animal rescue
• Classic Salsa for leukemia
• Salsa Verde for Alzheimer’s disease
• Pineapple Salsa for hunger
All profits support the causes—“like Paul Newman!” Vigil said—and connect to the women’s lives. Alderette has three rescue dogs, an interest that led to their animal event work. Plus, her father died from Alzheimer’s, and Vigil’s died from leukemia.
Twofer
Estolia’s is actually their second joint effort. Both were out of work around the time of the last recession.
Vigil had negotiated contracts for a company that monitored and maintained natural gas fueling stations, and earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership development from Chapman University as the job ended.
Alderette was a 20-year veteran of the construction industry, at the time serving as purchasing director at developer New Urban West Inc., which was building on former Chevron land in Huntington Beach.
They created real estate consulting firm LL Development Partners and ran it for several years. Clients included a builder of luxury lake homes in Parker, Ariz.
Alderette launched a solo effort in 2011, RNY Construction & Specialties Inc., which still exists. Clients have included Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
Vigil started making her salsa. “Food is my passion,” she said. She’s been cooking since she helped her grandmother in the kitchen at age 7.
She launched Estolia’s in 2011 from a rented industrial kitchen on Shannon Street in Santa Ana then run by Orange-based CuliFlex Kitchens.
Moving out as Vigil moved in, she said, was Nekter Juice Bar Inc., which was taking digs of its own. Nekter—a previous Business Journal family-owned business award honoree—now has about 70 locations.
Clients garnering Vigil’s attention included Whole Foods Market Inc. and wholesale food-service buyers of related products.
The company was fairly conventional in those years. Then the dogs came a’barking.
The cousins introduced the slogan “Salsa Saves Lives” in October after the race event, and Estolia’s turned to a profit-giving-to-nonprofits enterprise.
Two More
The salsas have been on Home Shopping Network, the Hallmark Channel, Circa News, and two SoCal outlets—Good Day L.A. and Vista L.A., which focuses on Hispanic culture.
Salsa distribution hits retail stores in California, the company’s website and Amazon.com. Related products, such as tamales, are on Williams-Sonoma’s website.
The pair plan to add two salsas this year—and two more charities.
Details on new products are tightly under wraps, but more charity involvement could come from a chance encounter after the Business Journal’s awards event. The cousins were walking to the parking lot, and “someone flagged us down to say congrats,” Vigil said.
It turned out to be Susan Kenny, development director at Ronald McDonald House in Orange, where Estolia’s will participate in an event.
They said they’ll feed the families whose kids are being treated at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
