GAME ON TOSTITOS
GAME ON TOSTITOS |
From watching and visiting LSU with my parents and grandparents (who live in the backwoods of Bogalusa, LA, about an hour from Baton Rouge) since I was a little one, I had longed to be an LSU Tiger. In the Summer of 1996, this dream became a reality as I arrived on campus in my ‘96 maroon Camaro, stepping out as a skinny “soccer playing” freshman - this would be my home for the next handful of years…
As my journey begin, I quickly realized that I wasn't the best student. I just didn't like going to class and learning things I didn't care about. So I'd hang, play sports, party (kind of a given at LSU), occasionally attend class and make salsa. Yes, you read that correctly - make salsa. I used to make salsa for fun and give it to my friends and they loved it! Fast forwarding years through life as a campus man, I ended up in a marketing class my senior year with the task to create a business plan with my team (aka random kids I didn’t know). Apparently nobody had anything worthwhile, so I told them I make salsa.
With this one statement, everything changed. we had our "business."
See, growing up in Southeast TX (a super small town of Port Neches), it’s pretty much almost Louisiana. So between my geographic upbringing in a state known for it’s Mexican food to my LSU family lineage, something tells me that I was born to make salsa (well really create something so good that I could make a lot people happy and bring people together - although I didn’t know it at this time). I mean I did grow up in a part of the country dubbed the “Bayou,” and for all the reasons you might imagine in hearing that name.
So sitting in that class, we took my nickname of "Benito" (somewhat of a spanish twist on Bennett - my last name) added some cajun spice to it and came out with "Beniteaux's Salsa.” This is still my nickname today. and this is where it gets interesting...
I'd share my salsa with people on the side because I love it, and they did too. I'd sell it to my coworkers when I lived in Orlando years ago (I believe this was the first step in realizing that I had something). Over the next 15 years, I would live in 7 different cities, travel hundreds of thousands of miles around the world, build other startups, experience the joys and hardships of life, and even evolve the name of the brand to what you see here today.
But until now, I never truly lived in the present with it. I let the fear of success stop me from starting. I believe now is the right time for a new brand of salsa to step in and stand for something greater than just the product...
Born on the Bayou, perfected in the Big 🍎, we combine flavors of the South with the sounds and styles of the city that never 😴.
We BELIEVE that everyone should travel, take chances, fall in LOVE, create and then rip it apart, GIVE to others just because, LAUGH until you cry, listen to music that makes you MOVE, dance your A** off and most definitely CULTIVATE your desires and CHASE that dream...
... and while doing all this - let's remember to LIVE in the PRESENT with the MOMENTS we capture and the MEMORIES we create - it's here where it's REAL and right now. And just like our salsa, it's here where we realize that we're alive and that dreams aren’t this good.
We pour our PASSION into creating the best products on the planet…so a HUGE thank you for being part of our family!
* By the way, we received a C on our business plan...
live in the present. capture moments. create memories.
DATG | dreams aren’t this good | #datg