“That’s a way we show love,” Mauricio De La Torre says about his lifelong love of sharing food with others. He and his brother, Diego, founded condiments company Don Chilio in 2016, but their passion for food goes back to childhood in Mexico City, when their grandfather constantly encouraged them to sample new dishes.

“We’d say we don’t like something and he’d say, ‘Well, have you tried it?’ Then he’d put something in our mouth and say: ‘Now you can say if you like it or don’t like it,’” says Diego. “He’s the one that really gave an emotional side to our business.”

Producing Mexican pantry goods like a bright Serrano Chile Crisp and a fruity Habanero Chile Crisp, Don Chilio keeps that family connection to food at the forefront.

“I feel very good that people like something that we were raised with,” says Mauricio. “That feeling of community, that’s what we’re here for.”

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Photo: Courtesy of Don Chilio