My name is Heather and many people know me as the Salsa Lady.

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Growing up in Southern California, salsa was part of nearly every meal. It was not just food but a way people gathered, talked, and stayed connected. After my parents divorced, I moved across the country but flew back often to visit my dad and other family. Those visits were almost always spent sitting around a bowl of salsa and catching up on life.

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I spent a year living with my dad while attending Redondo Beach High School. It was a busy year for both of us but we made time each week to reconnect, usually at our favorite little Mexican restaurant, always centered around our favorite salsa. That salsa stayed with me for decades and became the inspiration behind what would eventually become Ocho’s Original Salsa.

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Ocho Salsa officially began after years of friends and family insisting that I bring the salsa. What started as something I made for gatherings slowly became something people asked for by name. In 2018, we brought Ocho Salsa to our first farmers market and the response made it clear there was something special there.

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From that first season at a single market, Ocho quickly expanded to one of Pittsburgh’s largest farmers market, the Bloomfield Saturday Market, and continued growing from there. When COVID forced everything to slow down, it gave me the opportunity to focus fully on Ocho. During that time, it became clear how much I loved sharing not just salsa but the sense of connection that food creates. Since then, Ocho has grown steadily through new partnerships and expanded offerings, with sales nearly doubling year over year.

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Today, Ocho is much more than salsa. What started with one bowl has grown into a family of products rooted in bold flavor, quality, and community. From fresh salsas and dips to seasonings and freeze dried versions to completely new product lines like CookThese gourmet frozen cookie doughs, Artic Raw Pet Treats, and SweetFreeze freeze dried snacks. Ocho continues to grow in ways that let us bring our products to more people.

At its heart, Ocho is still about gathering, sharing, and making food that brings people together. We are excited to keep growing and to bring Ocho products to a store near you.