In 1947 Mr. Martinez scraped together $35 to buy his first inventory of spices, which he immediately repackaged into small cellophane packets. Mr. Martinez then peddled his spices door-to-door to all the corner markets in the Los Angeles, California area. His $35 investment turned into a $50 profit, which he used to buy more spices. Tampico Spice Company – one of the first companies in the world to package spices in cellophane bags for enhanced visibility and convenience – was born!
Mr. Martinez’ routine was to get up early, deliver the prior day’s orders, then go door-to-door until he visited 10 new markets, and finally go home to pack up the products for the next day’s deliveries. It was hard work, but it paid off.
