TALK ABOUT SPICY. Salsa brothers Aaron and Eric Haas share a relaxing and carb-filled picnic in Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park. You’re likely to have seen the duo showcasing their salsas, hummus dips, and original tortilla chips at area grocery stores and the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market.

Though Aaron and Eric Haas have only been creating their signature salsas for a year and a half, they’re already poised to become the next big thing.

Armed with the motto, “Ingredients Matter,” Haas Brothers are all about freshness and quality. The duo debuted at Eau Claire’s Downtown Farmers Market in the spring of 2010 with only one recipe called Roasted Tomato and Chipotle salsa – now Original Mild.

“Our goal is to always deliver fresh and quality products that make our customers keep coming back for more.” – Eric Haas on the Haas Brothers chips, salsas, and hummus

Eric had developed the recipe while working as the executive chef at Haymarket Grill, where he was asked to make salsa for a wedding the restaurant was catering.

“It was ‘medium’ in heat and we thought it would make everyone happy, but quickly found out that was not the case,” Eric said. “We tamed down the original recipe and added a hotter recipe in order to please everyone.”

Over the course of the summer, the brothers built a loyal customer base that wanted to nosh on the fresh salsa through the winter months when the farmers market wasn’t open.
“We contacted local retail grocers and were fortunate enough to get some shelf space to continue to sell our products,” Eric said.

That fall, Haas Brothers’ products started hitting the shelves at Gordy’s County Market, Mega Foods, Just Local Foods, Hahns Market, Weavers Country Store, and Menomonie Market Food Coop.

That was just the beginning for the twosome. This past spring they also launched two new salsas. Their Mango Habanero has that classic sweet and spicy combination, whereas their Smokey Pineappple Chipotle marries tropical and smoky flavors, which the brothers insist will make you think of a campfire on an ocean beach.

And then there are the fresh, hand-cut chips, which, Eric said, were a complete accident.

 

The Brothers Haas

“We wanted to provide the best sampling chip that we could, and wasn’t about to promote Tostitos or something similar, so we fried up our own fresh ones the day before the market,” Eric said.

Soon customers were asking if they could purchase the duo’s signature chips.

“We can’t seem to make enough of them,” Eric said. “We fry them fresh every week and by the end of that week they’re completely gone.”

Finally, there’s the duo’s hummus selections – Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Hummus, as well as their signature Thai Chili Pepper and Garlic Hummus.

Haas Brothers have even graced the menus of area restaurants such as Acoustic Café, The Edge Pub and Eatery, the Fire House, and High Shores Supper Club, where all their products are currently being produced, packaged, and distributed.

Despite being “fresh” and “local,” two buzzwords often synonymous with “pricy,” the Haas’s maintain reasonable prices – their salsas are only $3.99 at most stores, a competitive price next to other large salsa companies.

The duo dreams of one day getting there own production facility to be able to handle new business and distribution, but for now, they’re aiming to continue to please their already-loyal customers.

“Our goal is to always deliver fresh and quality products that make our customers keep coming back for more,” Eric said.