Salsa Queen asks customers for help navigating “cash flow challenge”

Jan 19, 2026, 6:50 AM

Salsa Queen disclosed Sunday it was encountering a “very real cash flow challenge” as it asked ...

Salsa Queen disclosed Sunday it was encountering a “very real cash flow challenge” as it asked customers to support the business in the short term through gift card and salsa purchases, as well as via crowdfunding donations. (Andrew Adams, KSL)

(Andrew Adams, KSL)

WEST VALLEY CITY — Salsa Queen disclosed Sunday that it was encountering a “very real cash flow challenge” as it asked customers to support the business.

The company also called a recent email it sent to customers asking for gift card purchases a “mistake,” acknowledging some may have viewed it as “unexpected or even sketchy.”

“Times are tough,” acknowledged Salsa Queen, who legally changed her name to match the name of the company she founded.

She said she started the business 12 years ago with her seven children out of a home in Magna and grew the company from Facebook to farmers’ markets and subsequently to stores.

Today, CEO Jim Birch said the Salsa Queen company offers salsa and dips in 30 states and roughly 1,000 stores, including through a partnership with Costco.

Birch said the business expanded rapidly over the past couple of years. He said infrastructure costs have taken a toll, including a $110,000 x-ray machine required for production, but inflation, as well as an unexpected downturn in sales, also contributed to the cash flow problem.

“Really, (it was) the fourth quarter,” Birch explained. “I don’t know if it’s the economy, people spending maybe more on Christmas, and even going into ski season with lack of snow—we’ve really seen our sales drop off and so we’ve built up and we’ve scaled up and we have all these expenses, and then all of a sudden the revenues aren’t there, and so it’s just a double whammy.”

Salsa Queen also acknowledged that growth has been challenging in “so many ways,” and she turned emotional when talking about keeping the business going for her roughly 20 full-time employees and their families.

“I want to be hopeful that we can keep our company and provide opportunities for everybody else that has dreams and that want to create something beautiful and out of love,” Salsa Queen said. “I am very hopeful that something amazing could happen.”

Birch said the business was simply trying to get through the next 30 to 60 days, and customers who wish to help can either place online orders or purchase gift cards through the Salsa Queen website or purchase Salsa Queen products at grocery stores.

He said the fastest way to help is by making purchases through the company’s website, where funds become available to the Salsa Queen business within two days.

“We just want to put our focus and our energy to continue supporting our company and our team,” Salsa Queen said. “We’re so proud of what we’ve created, so we need help. Your help means a lot to us. The same community that helped us be here where we are right now — these are the people that we need their support again.”

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Salsa Queen asks customers for help navigating “cash flow challenge”