Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.
Halo del Santo
Halo del Santo provides is a mix of salt, chili and lime for mixed drinks. The company also makes paletas enchiladas, or Mexican-style lollipops.
Who? Scott Hackler founded the company.
When? 2014
Where? Various restaurants such as Fred’s and LosVaqueros in the Stockyards. The products are also sold at Spec’s.
Contact: www.topshelfsalt.com or call 817-253-5552
Francis: How did the company start?
Hackler: I was in Jalisco, Mexico, with my brother Matt in 2010. We were sipping our way through the distilleries in Tequila and served a margarita rimmed with a combination of salt, chili and lime.
Halo del Santo or Saint’s Halo is our all-natural blend of kosher salt, fiery chile, and tart citrus. It took us 19 iterations to get it exactly right. On sweet-and-sour cocktails like palomas, on savory brunch cocktails like Bloody Marys, and even on Mexican beers, it’s hard to beat. It really enhances the flavor.
Francis: Where can people find the products?
Hackler: Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards, Fred’s, lots of area bars and we’re sold in Spec’s. And online, of course.
Francis: What’s the cost?
Hackler: $14 for a tin of the salt and about $3.50 for six of the lollipops.
Francis: You’ve expanded into lollipops I see.
Hackler: Yes, we’ve added paletas enchiladas, or Mexican-style lollipops. They’re sold in packages of six with pineapple, mango and watermelon flavors. They’re kind of equal parts sweet and salty.
Francis: Your logo has a monk holding a Bible with a page bookmarked. Who is the monk and what page is bookmarked?
Hackler: He’s a monk named Ignacio. The verse he has bookmarked is Ecclesiastes 8:15: “A man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry.”
Francis: Do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs? Hackler: We found a niche and here we are eight, nine years later and we’re not making a fortune, but we’re doing well. We stuck with it.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policyhere.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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