Austin, TX
Austin salsa company expands business, gives advice to others
Austin salsa company expands business
Small business owners are growing more optimistic and looking to grow their businesses next year, according to a recent survey. The owner of a local hot sauce and salsa company is cooking up big plans for 2025.
AUSTIN, Texas – Cooking up hot sauce and salsa started as a hobby for Tony Nunez. Now, he has made his family recipe into a business.
“I can’t believe we’re here. We’re doing it. We’re making it happen now,” said Nunez.
The company name, Fantastic Fuego, is inspired by an Austin film festival. That also explains what Nunez calls his products.
“They’re all nicknamed after movie titles. Even if the movie’s not that great. It works for the salsa like we have attack of the Killer Tomatoes there,” said Nunez.
A pineapple-based salsa mixture called “hard ticket to Hawaii” was prepared on Wednesday by Nunez and Austin White, his kitchen manager.
“It’s been a very different ride watching this little small business grow. We were in a couple of stores when I started and now, we’re in 20 to 30 stores,” said White.
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Fantastic Fuego has caught fire, going from a home kitchen to a shared commercial site in north Austin. Last year, Nunez sold 20,000 bottles of sauce and salsa. The plan now is to expand.
“The next step will also be getting into our own commercial kitchen space, and having a full-time staff that will help us, push the brand forward,” said Nunez.
According to a recent survey by Bank of America, Nunez is not alone in his optimism. 65% of small business owners expect revenue to grow this year, and 40% want to expand. But only about 30% in the survey expect the national economy to improve over the next 12 months.
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The findings in the BOA survey didn’t surprise Rhett Buttle, who is a Senior Advisor with Small Business for America’s Future.
“Some of the big pieces we’re hearing that business owners are excited about is, the federal investments that are happening,” said Buttle.
But like a flame cooking hot sauce, inflation and high interest rates have also increased the cost of supplies, requiring adjustments.
“I think more now than ever, we’re seeing with small businesses, the most important thing you can do is be flexible, and really have the opportunity to reinvent yourself,” said Buttle.
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With opportunity there is also risk.
“Definitely there are lots of steps, and potential stumbling blocks in the future. We have an upcoming presidential election, which, as you know, sometimes can create a little, phase or, fog for business owners and how they’re planning for their future. So, I would say, you know, it’s an optimistic outlook, right now, the way things are trending. But I always encourage business owners to be prepared, because, like we saw in the last pandemic, you never know what could happen,” said Buttle.
For Fantastic Fuego, the immediate focus Wednesday was on the latest batch of salsa that was cooked up. It should hit Shells store shelves in about two weeks.
How not to get burned, beyond what he is bottling, is something Nunez said he has thought about.
“Part of the business plan is to have our, worst case scenarios and have a backup plan for that,” said Nunez.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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