The Ambition of Phillip and Angelo Campos: Unexpected Salsa Chefs

Phillip and Angelo Campos have both had an entrepreneurial drive since they were young boys. From selling baseball cards, opening lemonade stands, and starting a college textbook service, it was only a matter of time before they created something BIG.

Enter Tres Mentes Salsa. After bringing some homemade salsa to work one day, Phillip and Angelo were told their salsa was amazing. Intrigued, they felt they were onto something and wanted to take it a step further. They began selling their salsa in the local farmers markets in the Des Moines area around July 2013 and sold 100–300 units a week. By that August, they were attending all the major Craft shows in the state of Iowa and selling out consistently. Their Facebook page grew as more and more followers wanted to know which grocery stores Tres Mentes Salsa could be found in.

By January 2014, Tres Mentes Salsa launched in Hy-Vees, a major supermarket chain in the Midwest US. Now they are currently in 18 Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, 6 Hy-Vee stores in Nebraska, and several other stores in the Des Moines area.

Phillip and Angelo would have never described themselves as chefs. They had bachelor’s in business administration and loved selling, but they unexpectedly found their opportunity in the food industry. Their business continues to sky rocket as they look to expand throughout all 240 Hy-Vees stores within the coming months.

Ambitious Adventures is about hope. All it takes is one episode, one inspirational story, one moment to change someone’s life. The way we tell stories can do that. The way we market and promote our shows can do that. The entrepreneurs we are featuring can do that. And you can help us to do that by pledging to our Kickstarter campaign.