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salsadelinda - Our Story
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Salsa De Linda started when Linda Kotter took her passion of
Mexican cooking and tried to replicate the fresh salsa that is served in
Mexican restaurants. In the summer of 1997, Linda had sold over 100 jars of salsa within a
few weeks, and she was encouraged to incorporate so more people could
enjoy this incredible flavor. Salsa De Linda was incorporated in
1999 for 1 year before being dissolved. By the summer of 2002, Linda and her business partner Jim DiVito knew they had to find a way to seal in the freshness and maintain the flavor. Through networking in the food industry, Jim found a local manufacturer that makes up other people's recipes, heats up the sauce to the boiling point, and then quickly puts the lid on. This process allowed the salsa to have a 3 year shelf life, without adding any preservatives! In September of 2002, Salsa De Linda was reinstated as a
corporation. Jim quickly started calling retailers and distributors,
and had early success in the local area. They now had two products, and by October of 2003 Salsa De Linda was in 23 Chicago area Jewel Food stores. The Meijer grocery chain also picked up their products in all 158 stores in 5 Midwest states! In February of 2004, Linda came out with her 3rd product, Key Lime Mango Salsa, which has a tropical flavor with a kick! Because of constant requests, in August of 2004, Linda has made her Habanero Hot Salsa available for sale. It has a great authentic flavor but adds the heat of the habanero pepper, which is 100 times hotter than the jalepeno pepper. The Habanero Hot Salsa was only out for about 1 month when Linda decided to create her 5th product, Confetti Black Bean Salsa. This salsa is for those who want something mild, refreshing, and delicious! The combination of 13 different ingredients makes for an explosion of flavor! The Confetti Black Bean Salsa made its debut in March of 2005. In February of 2004, Salsa De Linda was featured in the Chicago Sun Times Business section, and The Daily Herald Business section. In June of 2004, Jim & Linda were asked to appear on WGN TV News on the "Noon Lunch Break" segment. Linda made "Salsa De Linda Cheese Cake", a great recipe which of course included their Authentic Homemade Salsa! These articles and the television appearance have given great exposure to Salsa De Linda, as more and more people have the opportunity to try "the freshest tasting salsa you'll ever have in a jar!" By the summer of 2005, Jim shifted his focus to Food Service. He gained placement of Salsa De Linda in several local establishments. He was able to combine his passion for boating and his entrepreneurial spirit and combine them into one. He began delivering cases of salsa to the bars and restaurants on the Chain O' Lakes in Illinois, and quickly became known as the "Salsa Guy"! Thank you for your continued support. Salsa Me! Linda Kotter & Jim DiVito
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Her creation was an instant success among family and
friends. The Authentic Homemade Salsa was being requested at every
function that she attended, and soon Linda was making up small batches of
salsa in her kitchen. 
There was one major problem: because the salsa was
made up fresh, it had to be eaten within 2 days before it would go
bad. So the corporation folded, but Linda still made salsa for those
who wanted it. 
Linda, not content to only have 1
product, went back to the test kitchen and developed a Roasted Poblano
Salsa, which has a great smoky flavor with a little kick from Cayenne
Pepper! 