Building Something out of Nothing

Today's guest is Oscar Perez, founder of Tio Pelon's Salsita in San Antonio. We sit down at Shotgun House Roasters and chat about the founding of the company and how it all started, his popular recipes and the importance of branding, hitting the pavement and getting into local and national retailers, and how Oscar took his family salsa recipes and created Tio Pelon's Salsitas, a popular local salsa brand with international ambitions. Enjoy.

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Today's guests are Chad and Anthony - founders of Lick Honest Ice Creams. We sit down at Gameday Media Studios and chat about about the founding of the company and how it all started, their chance meeting in New York, moving to Austin and opening their first location on South Lamar, early lessons and the struggles of operating a small business, finding their footing and opening subsequent locations, how they choose their delicious flavors, their brand new Hemisfair location in San Antonio, and how Chad and Anthony went from making homemade ice cream in their apartment to founding Lick Honest Ice Creams, one of the premier ice cream companies in Texas. Enjoy.

Today's guests are Matt Dodson and Doug Young, co-founders of Cover 3 in Austin and San Antonio. We sit down at their Anderson Lane location and chat about the origins of the company and their shared history in the restaurant industry, opening the first location and having the Cover 3 burger featured in Texas Monthly, subsequent locations and how they carry their company culture to a new city, and how Matt and Doug combined a shared passion for scratch kitchens and a love for sports and created the Cover 3 Dining, Spirits, and Sports. Enjoy.

Today's guest is Michael Kiolbassa, President of Kiolbassa Sausage in San Antonio. We sit down at their production facility and chat about the founding of the company in 1949, Michael's transition to President and his grand ambitions for the brand, the implementation of the open book management philosophy and the myriad of ways that philosophy has improved the company, their commitment to crafting authentic, small-batch smoked meats, and how Michael took a local sausage shop and built it into one of the premier smoked meats companies in the United States. Enjoy.

Today's guest is Dennis Rylander, co-founder of Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling in San Antonio. We sit down at the brewery and chat about the company's origins and the local brewing scene back in 2010, the unique challenges of opening a combination brewery/distillery, their foray into retailers like HEB and Total Wine, the beer and whiskey varieties and processes, and how a group of friends drew up a business plan over many many beers at The Flying Saucer and founded the Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling, San Antonio's award-winning "brewstillery". 

Today's guest is Tabatha Conarko, founder of Con' Olio in Austin, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about the founding of the company and how it all started, the entire tree to bottle olive oil process, where she sources her ultra premium olive oils, how to tell the difference between fresh and rancid olive oil, the new flagship location out in Bee Cave, and how she went from working in the corporate world to building Central Texas' premier olive oil company from the ground up. Enjoy.

Today's guests are Luis and Marsha Morales, founders of Humble House Foods in San Antonio. We sit down at their manufacturing facility and talk about the origins of Humble House and how it all started, their relationship with The Pearl and how they became one of the first vendors at the Pearl Farmer's Market, pivoting the business model from artisan cheese to their signature hot sauces, and how they entered HEB's third annual Quest for the Best competition and wound up hitting the jackpot - getting their unique product into over 200 HEB's across Texas. Enjoy.

Today's guest is Chef Bryce Gilmore, chef and owner of Austin favorites Barley Swine, Odd Duck, and Sour Duck Market. We sit down at Odd Duck in Austin and chat about his culinary background and growing up around food, the origins of Austin's food truck scene and how he started the famed Odd Duck trailer, initial success and the subsequent openings of Barley Swine and Odd Duck, being nominated for 7 James Beard Awards and the impact that has on his team, and what's on the horizon for Chef Gilmore and his growing restaurant group. Enjoy.

Today's guest is Andrew Sides - co-founder of Lost Draw Cellars in Fredericksburg, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about Andrew's family roots in farming and the founding of the company, the Fredericksburg wine boom and how the industry has grown, how they landed on a location right in the middle of town, the early days of the winery and growing their customer base, getting into larger retailers like HEB and Whole Foods, and how Andrew went from being an Engineer in San Antonio to founding and operating one of the premier wineries in Texas. Enjoy.

Today's guest is Sarah Sauer, owner and maker behind Guten Co. goods in San Antonio. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about Sarah's education in the arts and starting Guten Co., the processes behind her custom letterpress designs and handmade ceramics, building a steady clientele through word of mouth, landing a profile in Texas Monthly in 2017, and how Sarah built her bootstrapped studio  into one of the most highly regarded design workshops in Texas. Enjoy.

Today's guest is Bob Williamson, founder of SRSLY chocolate in Taylor, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about Bob's foray into craft chocolate and the origins of the company, how he roasts the cocao and his bean to bar chocolate making process, partnering with local makers and the creativity behind his craft chocolate bars, building his wholesale clientele and getting into retailers like Whole Foods, and how Bob took a passion for quality chocolate and created SRSLY chocolate - one of Texas' premier bean to bar craft chocolate companies. Enjoy. 

Buzzsprout Link ($20 Amazon Gift Card): https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=290018

Today’s guests are Boyan Kalusevic and Randy Ward - co-owners & proprietors of Dorćol Distilling & Brewing Company in San Antonio. We sit down in front of our first live audience at San Antonio Start Up Week and chat about the origins of the company and how it all started, what sets Dorćol's unique spirits apart from other craft distillers, the funding, planning, and buildout of their Southtown distillery, the addition of the brewery a few years later, various awards and accolades, and how Boyan took his family origins in spirit making and built Dorćol Distilling and Brewing - Texas’ first urban craft distillery in the heart of San Antonio. 

Today’s guest is Blake Settle, founder and CEO of Rev Energy Gum in Austin, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about Blake’s entrepreneurial spirit and his idea for caffeinated gum, funding, branding, locating a manufacturer and trial iterations of the product, the early days of selling to convenience stores in between classes at UT, the rapid rise in popularity and getting into larger retailers like HEB and Buc-ees, and what’s on the horizon for this young and rapidly growing CPG company. Enjoy.

Rev Gum: https://www.chewrevgum.com/

Today's guest is Sarah Spivey, the popular meteorologist and news personality for KSAT in San Antonio. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about her journey to KSAT, including majoring in Meteorology at Texas A&M, landing her first gig at KTEN in Sherman, Texas, making the big leap to KSAT in San Antonio, what a day in the life is like behind the scenes as a KSAT meteorologist, what it's like being a well-recognized public figure in San Antonio, and what's on the horizon for Sarah and her career. Enjoy. 

KSAT: https://www.ksat.com/team/UTQCYQXNJ5D4LMXNG76AFI7HQI/

Buzzsprout Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=290018

Today's guest is Jeff Stuffings, founder of the famed Jester King Brewery in Dripping Springs. We sit down at the brewery and chat about the origins of the the company and how it all started, the early commitment to brewing farmhouse ales using spontaneous fermentation, how they landed on the 165 acre ranch in Dripping Springs, the discovery and implementation of the open-book management philosophy, what you can expect from a trip out to the brewery, and how Jeff took a passion for home brewing and a little business savvy and created Jester King Brewery, universally revered as one of the most innovative and respected breweries in the United States. Enjoy.

Today’s guest is Tara Chapman, founder of Two Hives Honey in Austin, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about her upbringing in West Texas and attending college at Duke, moving to Austin and discovering beekeeping through Groupon, honing her craft at an apiary in East Texas, winning an $8,000 grant that helped launch the company, and how Tara took her newfound beekeeping passion and quit her salaried government job on a lark to start Two Hives Honey - one of the premier artisanal honey company in Texas. Enjoy.  

Two Hives Honey: https://www.twohiveshoney.com/

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Today's guest is Mike Elhaj - CEO of Thunderbird Real Food Bars in Austin, Texas. We sit down at the Geekdom audio lab and chat about the origins of Thunderbird, what attracted him to the brand & how he acquired the company, what separates Thunderbird from other energy bars, what it takes to run a successful packaged goods company, and how the simple concept of using only fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices has allowed Thunderbird Real Food Bars to grow into a nationally distributed CPG brand. Enjoy. 

Thunderbird: https://www.thunderbirdbar.com/

Buzzsprout Ad Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=290018

Today's guest is local comedian Larry Garza. We sit down at Geekdom and chat about his almost two decade career in comedy, his writing process and various gigs he's played throughout his career, how to construct a proper comedy show, the state of San Antonio's comedy scene, his cancer diagnosis and the effect that's had on his life and his comedy, advice for comics just starting out, and where locals can go to support the burgeoning underground comedy scene in San Antonio. Enjoy.

Larry Garza: https://www.comediaagogo.com/larry-garza

Blind Tiger: https://www.instagram.com/blindtigercomedy/

Buzzsprout Ad Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=290018

Today's guest is Patrick Trevino, Head of Business Development at Twang in San Antonio. We sit down at the Geekdom Audio Lab and chat about the origins of the company in 1986, the early iterations and flavors of Twang's popular citrus salts, the 1998 partnership with beverage giant Anheuser-Busch and the marketing transition to beer salts, expanded offerings and increased retailer interest, and how since 1986 Twang has transformed from a small-time mom and pop shop to a nationally distributed company that sells over 10 million bottles of its signature beer salt each year. Enjoy.

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Today's guest is Gary Kelleher, founder of Dripping Springs Distilling in Dripping Springs, Texas. We sit down at the distillery and chat about the origins of this family owned business, their proprietary small-batch process & the benefits of using custom made copper stills, current product offerings and the recent merger with San Luis Spirits, and how Gary went from working a cushy corporate food service gig to founding and operating the 3rd craft distillery in Texas. Enjoy.

https://drippingspringsdistilling.com/