AWARDS
3rd place 2007 America's Best Food Show-Hot Salsa
3rd place 2007 Hot Pepper Awards-Hot SalsaEpic Valley Salsa in the Press
Ahhh, Colorado. Home to the ski slopes of Vail, the Denver Broncos and Nuggets, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and…great salsa? Sean Sorrin of Epic Valley Salsa dropped us a line and asked us to give their salsa a whirl. Despite any preconceived notions we might have had about the Centennial State, Epic Valley Salsa made us rethink a little. Here’s a little about what Sean had to say about their recent entry into the salsa marketplace... Read more at the Hot Zone.
A little while back, Sean Sorrin from Epic Valley Salsa contacted me about reviewing his new line of salsas.
“Salsa from Colorado?” I thought to myself, “oh well, can’t be as bad as the stuff here in New York“.
Then, low and behold, 2 jars of Epic Valley Salsa show up at my door - one Mild and one Hot. Naturally I went straight for the hot one.
Ingredients: Tomatoes, carrots, onions, green peppers, garlic, cilantro, red wine vinegar, salt, habanero powder and spices.
Now that’s what a good salsa should have in it. Not anything fake, just real honest ingredients. The habanero provides just enough heat to make you sit up and take notice - but not enough to scare you away from another chip. In fact, the entire jar won’t last you long, so it’s best you order two.
Once I polished off the HOT, I moved onto the Mild - but that was where I went wrong. The Mild has the same great flavor as the Hot - just not enough heat for a chilehead like myself. The wife loved the Mild so much that before I could add a little bit of heat to it, she took the jar and forbade me to modify it.
Sean & Corey started bottling their salsa in the winter of 98-99, producing about 6 cases of salsa a day. These days the guys are making 100 cases of their Epic Valley Salsa a day - selling to health food stores, specialty stores and gourmet food stores within 100 miles of their Crested Butte Location. Fortunately the guys also sell their salsas online, which allows folks outside of Colorado to enjoy these fresh (and preservative free) salsas around the world.
from Nick Lindauer 1/15/06 www.hotsauceblog.com
Epic Valley Salsa (mild) made in Salida, CO
Heat: 1.5 Late heat: 2.5 Texture: Finely chopped Rating: 8
Now this is the kind of salsa that maked you proud to be a Coloradoan! The heat level is just right for a mild salsa, the texture is perfect, and the ingredient looks the way it should. Like Evan's Salsa, Epic Valley uses a touch of carrots to provide sweetness, though you have to work to taste it. Overall, the flavor was great but just a bit light in flavor. Some sea salt and black pepper would round out the taste - I tried that, adding just a bit of sea salt, some black pepper, and a splash of red wine vinegar, and I thought the result was better. But it was great to start with & I'll be buying this again.
Epic Valley Salsa (hot) made in Salida, CO
Heat: 7 Late heat: 6 Texture: Finely chopped Rating: 8
See the above comments for the mild version. The hot salsa is the mild with some habernero pepper powder added to boost the heat several notches. I think I'll end up mixing the hot and mild together to make a good medium!
The Mountain Mail- Salida's Hometown Neswpaper
New salsa company making Salida a ‘hot’ town
by Christopher Kolomitz
Mail Managing Editor
Born in a Crested Butte restaurant, Epic Valley Salsa found a home in Chaffee County.
During the winter of 1998-99 entrepreneurs Sean Sorrin and Corey Folks started making their gourmet salsa while living and working in Crested Butte, turning out six cases a day.
Now, working out of the Chaffee County Fairgrounds kitchen, the two are making 100 cases a day from a 40- gallon steam kettle.
“Up until this year, we’ve been flying by the seat of our pants,” Folks said. “But we buckled down and took the big leap.”
Living their ski bum life-style and working at Casey’s Restaurant in Mt. Crested Butte, the two started experimenting with different ingredients to make their salsa.
“Every batch changed,” Sorrin said. “We would try different things until it was pretty damned good.”
Customers at the restaurant were commenting about how good the salsa was and gave the two inspiration to keep the business going.
But, with a small operation from a borrowed kitchen used after hours, the two were losing money making six cases.
Seeking to expand, the two found a co-packing company in Grand Junction to make their salsa.
Sorrin, 31, and Folks, 32, shipped Religious Extreme, the co-packing company, spice mix and labels for four years.
In the meantime, Epic Valley was building a reputation as a quality product.
They marketed their creation to health food stores and specialty stores in mountain towns within 100 miles of Crested Butte. Rafting companies started serving the product during meals on full day and multi-day trips.
Wanting to become more cost effective and with in-ventory running low, Sorrin and Folks decided to move their packing operation closer to home.
Folks works at The Victoria Tavern as a “gofer,” backbar and ice machine technician in addition to raising his son, Cody. Sorrin works as a raft guide for Clear Creek Rafting and as a chef at various restaurants.
“We decided if Ben and Jerry could do it, why not Sean and Corey?” Sorrin said.
They purchased the kettle, made arrangements at the fairgrounds and started production.
The two slice vegetables one day ahead of making the salsa and the next day add other basic ingredients, along with a bag of “super-secret” spices.
Once the batch is cooked, they pour the salsa into jars, seal the lids and slap on labels.
Epic Valley is made without preservatives and Sorrin and Folks claim their product is the freshest salsa on the market and the only salsa commercially produced in Chaffee County.
During the past two weeks, they made more than 160 gallons of salsa.
The majority of the product is delivered in 16-ounce jars to stores and the remainder is delivered in gallon jugs to rafting companies.
Distribution also includes gourmet food stores along the Front Range. Epic Valley is made in two styles – mild and hot.
In Salida it is available at Simple Foods, Sunshine Market, Kathy’s Neighborhood Goods and Pizzaphilia. It is served as the house salsa at Benson’s Tavern and is used during festivals by Whitewater Wraps.
EPIC VALLEY HOT SALSA - Salsa with an Attitude !
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapenos, Carrots, Garlic, Cilantro, Vinegar, Salt, Habanero Powder, and Spices.
Appearance: The sauce looks good in the bottle, with chunks of tomato and onion visible, and a nice golden brown color. The thickness is just right for dipping, not too thick, and not too thin.
The size of the bottle is good for dipping the salsa out with a spoon, and is big enough to dip chips directly into the salsa.
The label is nicely done, with nice colors and is easy to read.
This salsa has No Preservatives, and is Fat Free.
Aroma: This salsa has a nice, slightly smoky aroma of chili peppers, followed
by garlic and onion.
Taste: Excellent. This is one of the best salsas I have tried in a long time. It has a great balance of chili flavor, onion, garlic, and heat.
Heat Level: This salsa has some heat. Not huge, but enough to let you know it is there. Perhaps a level of 4 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Overall: This is a fantastic Salsa ! I really like the combination of flavors. I poured the 16 oz bottle into a bowl surrounded by tortilla chips. Everyone who tried this salsa really liked it.
www.coloradosalsa.com
Check the website for ordering info, recipes, and other fine products.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !
Best Regards
John Z