If you are a professional salsa maker and you think your salsa is better than the rest, then I have a contest for YOU. Bret Vitek of Jungle Jim's International Market will offer to buy a total of 35 cases of salsa for this contest. PLUS, for Labor Day Weekend, Jungle Jim's will feature the winning salsa in their weekly newsletter which reaches over 50,000 residents in the Cincinnati area in one of their biggest shopping weeks of the year. A value of $300 for the ad, for FREE to that winning salsa company.
So, with the goal in mind, what does the eager salsa maker have to do to get into this salsa contest? Well, all you will need to do is to send out your best jars of salsa to four judges. We cannot have any salsa that needs refrigeration, so it must be canned and labeled. No amateur salsa is allowed. thehotpepper.com is one of four pepper sites involved in the competition, and Dyce51 is the THP judge. The deadline for all four judges (8 jars) is May 1 (must be RECEIVED by this date). Prior commitment is required before receipt.
Come the July 4th Weekend, we will announce the final four salsa competitors, almost one month prior to the Weekend of Fire show which is on August 1-2. Much like the NCAA March Madness Tournament, the four salsas will meet to compete in one final round on the Saturday of the event. This round will take place at Jungle Jim's International Market's Weekend of Fire, where you, the chilihead, will have a chance to decide each salsa's fate. Anyone going to the show will get to sample all four salsas and vote on who you think deserves to be voted as the best of the contest. PLUS, Bret will also give away FREE SALSA if you attend the show and know the secret password! More details in July.
Prizes
Top four Salsas: Five cases of salsa bought by Jungle Jim's.
Winner: An additional ten cases bought by Jungle Jim's and the free Labor Day advertisement worth around $300. A display at the store for customers to sample.
Runner-up: An additional five cases bought by Jungle Jim's.
There has to be a prior commitment when entering this contest that the winners must be able to send the five cases to Jungle Jim's prior to the show. The inability to do so will drop them from the chance of winning anything further. Bret also asks the salsa makers to sell the cases of salsa at a wholesale price so he will be able to sell it at Jungle Jim's for a reasonable price to his customers. Otherwise, the salsa might be harder to sell at higher costs.
The ONLY cost to those willing to enter this salsa contest is the price of your product and mailing it to the four judges. We will ask you to send two jars of the salsa you are most proud of to each judge. If you wish to send in more than one type we will be happy to evaluate it as well. If you wish to send in a fruit salsa or a black bean and corn or even an extreme heat salsa, you will be judged with the same criteria as the others. Heat will not figure in on the overall score for the salsa. The judges are all chiliheads though, so you might want to shelf the mild varieties for this contest.
If you have salsa and think it is the best, then jump in head first. Contact
Buddah with your company's name, products that will be shipped, and phone number for contact purposes at
albuddah@yahoo.com. He will provide you with the judges' addresses. Please enter "WOF Salsa Contest" in the email subject line. The judges MUST have receipt by May 1 to be eligible for this contest, so the longer you wait to get in touch with me, the harder it will be for you to get everything shipped on time. Any breakage is not the responsibility of the judges and you will be asked to reship in a timely fashion otherwise your entry will be disqualified. Please pack your boxes securely.
All salsa entered will be mentioned by company name, and the non-winning companies will remain anonymous unless they desire to state otherwise on the various website threads such as this one. This is a contest about winning salsa, so only the top four will be declared on the week around July 4th. If a company wants additional feedback, scores will be kept and Buddah will be happy to furnish the results if desired at no additional cost to you via email or in a thread.
We wish you the best of luck, and may the best salsa win.
Info about Jungle Jim's Weekend of Fire
Weekend of Fire General Information:
Dates & Hours
Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 2, 2009 - 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location
The Oscar Event Center
Jungle Jim’s International Market
5440 Dixie Highway
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
Phone Number
513.674.6000
Ticket Sales
Advance: $5.00 Per Person
At the Door: $7.00 Per Person
Children Under 12: Free with Adult admission
*Children MUST be accompanied by an adult!
Parking is free!
