Some people call Gabriel J. Mendez a doctor of salsa.


Actually, his doctorate is in Latin American history, but when he couldnt find a college-level teaching job within commuting distance of Spokane, he made salsa his business.


He founded Salsa Mendez in May 1995 to make and distribute to retailers chunky fresh salsain mild, medium, and hot varietiesand guacamole. His one-man venture in the Spokane Valley now produces a small but steady revenue stream.


Its not even a small business; its a minute business, Mendez quips.


Filling every role in the companyfrom vegetable chopper to taste tester to delivery guyMendez churns out about 300 one-pound containers of salsa and about 170 half-pound containers of guacamole a week between October and April. When business picks up in the summer, his weekly output increases to between 450 and 500 containers of salsa and about 200 containers of guacamole.


His wife, Margie, who teaches sociology at Gonzaga University, occasionally helps package the products. On weekends, the couples two children, Michael, age 9, and Daniela, age 6, help sweep up the kitchen, which is located in a remodeled house that the tiny company rents at the southwest corner of Pines Road and Main Avenue. The houses front room has been converted into a prep kitchen with large work counters, gleaming restaurant-style sinks, and a refrigerated case for storing salsa and guacamole thats ready for delivery.


Mendez says he used to employ two of his friends at Salsa Mendez, but the companys slow growth didnt support employees, so they left the business.


Working alone, I found I could do all the work by myself, because I didnt talk so much, he says.


Mendez clearly loves to talk. The Yucatan, Mexico, native, who came to the U.S. when he was 6 years old, recounts with gusto the zesty salsa his parents made to accompany simple family meals of pinto beans and shredded pork.


Back then, though, the blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, chilies, and spices was just something we had with beans, he says. Little did I think this would someday sell at a store to go with chips.


Mendez, however, lets his salsa speak for itself.


I dont make a hard sell, he says. I let people try it, and usually they are hooked.


The chunks of tomatoes and onions in the salsa are in a savory juice thats zesty with the taste of lime, peppers, fresh cilantro, and other seasonings. The guacamole is a creamy blend of avocado spiked with hearty cubes of tomato and onion.


When he started out in the business, Mendez took samples of his salsa and guacamole to produce managers at Spokane grocery stores to convince them to carry the products. Salsa Mendez now is available at 20 stores in Eastern Washington and Idaho, including at Tidymans LLC, Rosauers Supermarkets Inc., and Albertsons Inc. stores.


The salsa generally retails for just under $4, and the guacamole sells for about $3.50. Both are found in the refrigerated cases of produce sections.


Mendez, who came to Spokane in 1986, got a hint of the potential appeal of his familys salsa recipe when he was helping teach Spanish at Spokanes Educational Service District 101s telecommunications division, which provides courses via satellite and cable television to rural schools. The district had employee potlucks, and when Mendez brought his salsa to those events, it garnered rave reviews from co-workers. When he decided to go into the salsa business, his co-workers helped name the venture and designed the Salsa Mendez logo, which features bold lettering and a chili pepper, he says.


Mendez first produced his salsa and guacamole in rented space in a commercial kitchen at Piccolos Italian Market, at 2002 E. Mission. In 1997, Salsa Mendez outgrew that space and moved to its present location, he says.


Mendez says his company so far has taken a cautious approach to growth so he could continue to handle the production and so it wouldnt be overwhelmed by debt. I dont like getting in debt, he says. I like to have cash at hand and let the business pay for improvements.


Initially, Mendez chopped all of the vegetables for his salsa by hand, but as orders picked up, he bought a dicer with a grid of blades that could chop a tomato or onion with a single stroke. Additional growth enabled him to buy a restaurant-style electric food chopper that quickly cubes vegetables.


The company buys its producea key to fresh salsas flavorfrom Pupos Produce Inc., of Spokane, Mendez says. Pupos also distributes the salsa to grocery stores in Pullman, Wash., and Moscow, Idaho.


Mendez declines to disclose revenue, but says sales have held steady for the past few years. I make an OK living, but I would like to upgrade from good to great, Mendez says.


He tried boosting business by making onion, cheddar-bacon, and spinach dips and preparing fruit trays, but found limited success and abandoned those plans. The salsa and guacamole are the bread and butter of the business, and the other things just took time away from them, Mendez says.


Now, Mendez hopes to tap the Seattle market to spur Salsa Mendezs growth. He estimates that if he could place his products in the Seattle area, he could sell 1,000 pounds of salsa a week, double his current peak output. He says the company likely would hire at least one employee to handle the additional business that would be generated by a successful entry into Seattle.


Maybe someday Ill be salsa king of the Northwest, he muses.