Meet Mario & Kevin Cruz | The Hot Sauce-preneurs: A Fiery Venture from A Cuban American Family

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mario & Kevin Cruz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mario & Kevin, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The vision behind Barbaro Mojo was to share the authentic Cuban flavors we cherished growing up while infusing them with heat to create a one-of-a-kind hot sauce. As Cuban-Americans, we have a deep appreciation for the rich culinary traditions of Cuba, but our American taste buds crave the heat!

Our journey began in 2018 on Noche Buena, a traditional Latin celebration held on Christmas Eve where we host close friends and family and prepare a traditional Cuban pig roast. My son, Kevin, was experimenting in the kitchen with our secret family recipe for Cuban Mojo that we use for our yearly roast. He decided to add some spicy peppers to it… WOW! “Que Barbaro!” The result was a sauce full of vibrant Cuban flavor and heat! We added it to our lechón for Christmas Eve dinner, and that night, we knew we had something special.

In 2019, we gifted our homemade Cuban Hot Sauce to friends and family for Christmas Eve. The label features founder Mario Cruz’s face with the name “Barbaro Mojo.” This name has a playful cultural reference: in Cuban and Hispanic traditions, people are often named after the saint on whose feast day they are born. Mario was born on Saint Barbara’s Day, and the male equivalent of Barbara is Barbaro. While “Barbaro” literally means “barbaric,” in Cuban slang it conveys a sense of being amazing, fantastic, or even savage.

Our hot sauce became an instant hit – everyone kept asking for more.

In 2020, inspired by the recipes passed down from our families, we decided to create our own line of high-quality, small-batch hot sauces. The essence of Cuban flavor was bottled in a hot sauce that allows people to experience the taste in their own kitchens.

Our online store, barbaromojo.com, was built to introduce our hot sauces to the world while staying true to our roots and handling all aspects of production, branding, and sales. As word spread about our delicious and unique hot sauces, the business grew organically.

Today, we are proud to have our products stocked in select grocery stores and restaurants across the region. Through our online store, we ship across the US and internationally. In May 2024, Barbaro Mojo was recognized with three awards at the 27th Fiery Food’s Challenge, the longest-running, most prestigious blind-tasting competition in the fiery food industry that attracts entries from around the globe. Our Jalabáo hot sauce won two Golden Chile Awards: Best Hot Sauce in the Mild category and Best Latin Style Hot Sauce in the Mild/Medium category. And, our Piñazo hot sauce earned 2nd place for Best Hot Sauce by People’s Choice. We’re proud of our accomplishments this far and grateful for the recognition. As we continue to grow our mission remains the same: to share a taste of Cuba and our passion for quality ingredients with hot sauce fans everywhere.

Our Cuban hot sauces are designed to inspire culinary creativity, encouraging you to experiment with new flavors and bring a touch of Cuban flair to your everyday meals. With Barbaro Mojo, every dish is a celebration of flavor.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mario Cruz is a seasoned entrepreneur, technologist, and CTO at Watsco Ventures. He co-founded Choose Digital in 2011, which was acquired by Viggle in 2014, and has over 20 years of expertise in Cloud, DevOps, and operations.

His entrepreneurial journey is marked by honors such as the CIO Impact Award for Cloud Computing and the Techweek100 Award. He holds various patents for technologies he co-invented.

Mario mentors multiple startups, and businesses, and produces the Maker Faire Miami as part of a nonprofit to teach kids about STEM.

In 2020, Mario co-founded Barbaro Mojo with his son, Kevin Cruz, and is excited to tap into the world of hot sauce.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend was visiting for a weekend, I’d make sure they experienced the very best of our city’s vibrant culture and delicious cuisine.

We’d kick off the weekend on Friday evening with an amazing dinner, drinks, and dancing at Cafe La Trova.

Our mornings would start with a stop at Sergio’s for a perfectly brewed Cuban coffee and a freshly made croqueta—these pair perfectly with our Barbaro Mojo El Havanero Hot Sauce.

Then, we’d head to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to take in the tropical oasis and partake in one of their festivals or weekend markets. They have an upcoming Mango Festival on July 13th that would be the perfect time to visit!

For a late lunch or early dinner, we’d head to Chug’s Diner in the Grove to indulge in their famous frita burger, a delightful Cuban treat bursting with flavor. In the evening, we’d stroll and bar hop through the Grove’s new outdoor mall and end the night with drinks on the bay at Regatta Grove.

The next day, we’d pick up our favorite Publix Subs and head to our family’s little hidden gem, Alice Wainwright Park, for an outdoor picnic along the bay.

As the evening approaches, we’d make our way to Little Havana. We’d either dine at my favorite Thai spot, Lung Yai Thai, or at a family-favorite gathering spot, Versailles, for a traditional Cuban dinner. After dinner, we’d stop by Ball & Chain for some live salsa music and dancing, truly immersing ourselves in the local culture, with a nightcap at Azucar, our favorite ice cream spot ever!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to our vibrant and hardworking Hispanic community, especially those in the food industry. So many local hispanic-owed businesses have supported our growth. A special thank you to Sedano’s and Chifles for their continued support and partnership. Your commitment and collaboration have not only helped us grow but also enriched our journey in countless ways. Thank you for being a part of our story.

Website: https://BarbaroMojo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaromojo/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/barbaromojo/

Twitter: https://x.com/BarbaroMojo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaroMojo