Moline woman’s salsa business growing

MOLINE, Ill. — Jodi’s Top Shelf Gourmet Salsa hit local grocery shelves this spring, but it’s had a loyal following for years.

When Jodi Haxmeier, of Moline, first perfected her salsa recipe, she made it once a month for family and friends. As demand increased, she began making it twice a month, then once a week.

Then, because of its popularity, Haxmeier decided to start a company and sell her salsa. “They said people would buy it. Sure enough, it’s taken off.”

Two Hy-Vee stores started carrying Top Self Salsa in March, and now it’s available at 19 Hy-Vee locations, including most Quad-Cities stores and ones in Dubuque, Peoria, Galesburg and Cedar Rapids. It’s also sold at the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau in Moline and Mississippi Valley Welcome Center in LeClaire.

The salsa comes in mild, medium and hot, and sells for about $4 a jar. Haxmeier, who has always loved to cook, said a black bean and corn salsa is in the works, and she hopes to have it on store shelves soon.

Haxmeier developed a passion for salsa more than 15 years ago after eating fresh salsa in Mexico. She decided to create her own recipe, and estimates it took four to six months to perfect it.

Now, most weekends, Haxmeier gives out samples at Hy-Vee, often wearing red-tinted eyeglasses shaped like hot peppers, and a hot pepper necklace. “During the demos, you meet a lot of fun people that are encouraging.”

She said salsa can be used in a variety of dishes, such as chili, bruschetta and meatballs, and she usually hands out recipes at the samplings.

Besides Top Shelf Salsa, Haxmeier, who worked in the dental field for many years, also works for Inspire design Jewelry in Rock Island and for her husband’s company, AJ Excavating in Bettendorf.

When she decided to start Top Shelf Salsa, she said she turned to Steve and Kelly Ducey, local owners of Irish Dog Bloody Mary Mix, who gave her advice on everything from marketing to legal questions.

“They actually saved me a lot of legwork,” she said. “They were a godsend.”

She also received help from her sister, Vicki Gould, a graphic artist who designed the Top Shelf Salsa label.

Haxmeier said she faced a lot of challenges getting the company started. She said it was difficult to find a manufacturing company that would use fresh ingredients only, but she found one in Union, Ill. “I wouldn’t compromise,” she said.

It took a lot of money to start the business, and although she’s still in the red, Haxmeier said she’s starting to see a little return.

She would love to see her salsa in every grocery store from coast to coast, but her ultimate goal is to someday host a bowl game for college football — the Top Shelf Salsa Bowl.

Top Shelf Salsa is on Facebook.