Swole-sa™ started in a kitchen that smelled like roasted chiles and love.
The air was thick with warmth. Smoke curled from the comal, garlic sizzled in oil, and my mom’s laughter mixed with the music playing softly on the radio. There was rhythm in everything: the scrape of the molcajete, the rustle of corn husks, the way colors came alive in the salsa, red, green, gold. But more than anything, it was her love that filled the room. The kind you could taste before the first bite, the kind that made every meal feel like a celebration.
Everyone who tried her food felt it too. Friends, family, neighbors. They’d light up after a spoonful and ask for seconds before finishing their first. That joy is why my siblings and I always encouraged her to share her food with the world. But life — and a few health challenges — kept her from believing it was possible.
One afternoon, while making salsa together, something clicked. The same fire she cooked with lived in me too.
That moment became the seed for Swole-sa™. It was my way of honoring my mom’s recipes while reimagining them through my own lens, connecting where I come from, where I’m going, our culture, and a new generation’s idea of wellness.
As a first-generation Mexican-American, I’ve always lived in-between. Between cultures, aquí y allá, between tradition and progress. I grew up on food that nourished the soul like tamales, mole, tortillas straight off the comal, but it wasn’t always the best fuel for my highly active lifestyle.
As I got deeper into movement — weight lifting, dancing, running — my meals became increasingly functional but flavorless: chicken breast, broccoli, chalky protein bars and shakes. I missed the richness, the heat, the joy that came with real food. Somewhere along the way, I realized those worlds didn’t need to be separate. That food could be both deeply nourishing and full of life.
Swole-sa™ was born at that intersection: where ancestral flavor meets modern fuel. Where the nourishment I grew up with meets the discipline I live by today.
We’re pioneering high-protein salsa that proves Mexican food can be both deeply rooted and boldly reimagined. Each 16oz jar delivers 32g of clean, plant-based protein, crafted with real ingredients, vibrant recipes, and the same soul you’d find in every Mexican kitchen filled with laughter, heat, and love.
Our mission is simple: to celebrate culture through nourishment and show that eating well can still mean eating with heart, with identity, and with sabor.
This is more than salsa.
It’s our story. A story of family, heritage, and strength shared at the table.
– José, Founder of Swole-sa™
Dip strong. Live bold.™
