In the eight months since Steve Hanna has been selling his Old Pueblo Poblano Mexican Sauces, he has already secured shelf space at approximately 30 Tucson Mexican carnicerias.
Itβs also available in a handful of markets including Food Conspiracy Co-op, Alejandroβs Tortilla Factory, Dickmanβs Meat & Deli and Floraβs Market Run, where owner Nathan Ares said he canβt keep it on the shelf.
βItβs our biggest seller among the local products we carry,β Ares said.
Part of the reason, says Oscar Segura, could be a case of mistaken identity. Some consumers might be confusing Old Pueblo Poblanoβs trio of hot sauces with the original Poblano Hot Sauce handcrafted by his family from 1924 until the company shuttered in June 2020.
But the confusion might be short-lived; Seguraβs cousin, Nathan Arevalo, has plans to relaunch the business later this year as Poblano de Segura Hot Sauce.
βWe are so excited to bring the product back to the public for people who have been missing it,β said Arevalo, whose business partner in the new venture is another cousin, Marisol Anaya, who recently earned a culinary degree.
Arevalo has the blessing of cousin Oscar, who ran the business with his mother and sister after his father, Oscar Ramon Segura, died in 2015.
In June 2020, a family dispute and a break-in at the hot sauce companyβs production facility led to its demise.
A family legacy
Segura and Arevaloβs great-grandfather, Nicolas Segura, started Poblano Hot Sauce in 1924. His sons, Oscar and Gilbert Segura, had been working in the business since around 1970, but it wasnβt until the senior Segura was on his deathbed did he pass along his recipe. He died in 1985.
Oscar Segura Sr. took his fatherβs lead and handcrafted the hot sauce and bottled it by hand as his father had before him. Gilbert Segura worked alongside him for a few years before turning his attention to the distribution side of the business, said grandson Arevalo.
Arevalo was 16 when he started working in his grandfatherβs distribution business; heβs now 35 and said the familyβs hot sauce business has been his only job.
βI just always have had a personal attachment to the Poblano product,β said Arevalo. βThat flavor and taste has always been a part of my life.β
When the company fell apart last summer, Arevalo said he was determined to keep the family legacy going.
βOnce I saw the business go the route it did, I was going to do anything I can to keep that family hot sauce going,β he said. βA lot of that Segura name goes into that bottle.β
He received the blessing of Oscar Segura and set about lining up permits and renovating his grandfatherβs old distribution warehouse near Apollo Middle School on Tucsonβs south side as a production facility. Most of the work has been centered on updating the aging building, including improving electrical boxes and installing a slip-proof floor.
He said he hopes to have everything in order in the next few months so he can begin production using the original family recipe.
βNot the originalβ
Old Pueblo Poblanoβs Hanna admits that he tried to recreate the original Poblano Hot Sauce taste in his trio of sauces. He thinks heβs close, but βwe will never match up the same flavor,β he admitted.
βIt just wonβt, canβt, because we donβt know what it is,β he said.
When he was spitballing ideas last year for his hot sauce venture with his family, his brother-in-law suggested they use the word βpoblanoβ in the name. And since the company was based in Tucson, they added Old Pueblo and came up with the Old Pueblo Poblano name β which is admittedly similar but just different enough to distinguish the two companies.
Until you come to the labels. Thatβs where things become a little fuzzier. The original Poblano Hot Sauce label featured a woman wearing a sombrero and the word βPoblanoβ in red prominent against a yellow, red and green backdrop.
Old Pueblo Poblanoβs label has a man in a sombrero dancing with a woman wearing a traditional China poblana-style dress and the word βPoblanoβ in red letters prominent against a yellow, red and green backdrop.
The dancers were created by a graphic artist, one of three designs he presented to Hanna and his family. The color scheme, Hanna said, was intentional: βI love the colors. I wanted that old look.β
βI wanted that same kind of a look but, no, itβs not the same,β he said. βItβs not the original.β
Oscar Segura said it feels like a stab in the heart that Hanna chose to name his sauce Poblano.
βThe word poblano meant a lot to my grandfather,β Segura said. βFor Steve to use that without even asking us, I donβt think thatβs right. Of all the words, why use Poblano just to get people confused.β
Continuing the legacy
Arevalo said it could take months before he is ready to begin producing three varieties of Poblano de Segura Hot Sauce β a red hot sauce, a green jalapeΓ±o and a salsa ranchero.
Yes, he said, they will mirror Old Pueblo Poblanoβs Authentic Hot, Green JalapeΓ±o and Salsa Ranchero β three of the four original Poblano Hot Sauce varieties. But the original Poblano Hot Sauce was known for those three flavors, and Arevalo plans to continue that legacy.
And the new venture also will change the label color scheme to avoid confusion with Hannaβs product. But the two companies will have one similarity on the label β the iconic Mexican woman dressed in a traditional China poblana dress.
βWe donβt want to add to the confusion. We want to be distinct and go our own way, but still call it Poblano and keep the family tradition,β Arevalo said.
Hanna said to keep up with demand, he has had to outsource production of the sauce, made with his recipe. The 5-ounce bottles sell for $3.49 through the companyβs website tucsonpoblano.com; the retail price is a bit more.
Other stores where Old Pueblo Poblano is available include Gallery of Food at 2522 E. Fort Lowell Road, and Casino del Solβs gift shop, 5655 W. Valencia Road.
It also is served at Bisbee Breakfast Club restaurants, and Hanna said he is in talks with two major Arizona grocery store chains to carry the sauces statewide.
New Tucson restaurants and bars opened in summer 2021
Bella's Gelato Shoppe
UpdatedBella's Gelato started as a local food truck but now has a stand-alone shop atΒ 2648 E. Speedway Blvd.
The menu of a dozen gelato and sorbet flavors, plus smoothies, coffee and floats, should cool down anyone in search of a summer treat.Β
Noodleholics
UpdatedNoodleholics' first shop opened on Grant Road back in 2018 and has since opened an Oro Valley location atΒ 7850 N. Oracle Rd.
The new Oro Valley spot has a larger kitchen and a patio dining area for noodle-lovers in the area who might not want to make the trek down to midtown.
Maria Bonita Mexican Kitchen
UpdatedAfter its original location closed in 2011, Maria Bonita Mexican Kitchen has returned to Tucson, this time at 2708 E. Fort Lowell Road.Β
The menu features popular Mexican dishes like quesadillas, chimichangas, tacos and desserts like flan and tres leches cake.Β
Gallery of Food Bodega
UpdatedThe Gallery of Food Bodega, at 2522 E. Fort Lowell Road, had its grand opening this June, despite technically first opening back in October 2020.Β
This store, run byΒ Kristine Jensen of the Gallery of Food catering company,Β sells locally-sourced products and offers grab-and-go meals, all of which can also be bought online.Β
Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink
UpdatedYou may be familiar withΒ Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink's popular downtown location atΒ 101 E. Pennington Street, but now you have the chance to grab a pie and a cocktail up north.
Reilly's second location opened Aug. 1 on Tucson's northwest side atΒ 7262 N. Oracle Road.
La Estrella Bakery
UpdatedLa Estrella Bakery opens its third Tucson location on July 31 atΒ 901 N. Grande Ave.Β
The Franco family, who opened their flagship bakery in the '80s, is putting this new location in Barrio Hollywood where their Tucson roots began.Β
Transplant Pizza
UpdatedThis new pizzeria "born in Tucson, inspired by Detroit" at 4603 E. Speedway Blvd. comes from the minds of William and Travis Miller, the brothers behind Tucson's Serial Grillers.Β
The duo opened the doors of Transplant Pizza this summer right next to Craft, A Modern Drinkery, a taproom which they also run.Β
Salad and Go
UpdatedSalad and Go has over 30 locations in Arizona and now Tucson's first is open at 5501 E. Speedway Blvd.
Although the name says "salad," you can also grab breakfast burritos and seasonal soup there. Another Tucson location is planned to open later this year at Tucson Marketplace.
Buena Vida
UpdatedThis luchador-themed spot at 919 N. Stone Ave. had its grand opening at the end of August, which featured a car show and live wrestling.
Buena Vida's menu offers a variety of tortas, loaded "Lucha Fries," Sonoran dogs, and salads with a Mexican cuisine-inspired twist. They have indoor and patio seating and offer carry out as well.Β
Noble Hops
UpdatedThe popular Oro Valley gastropub,Β Noble Hops, opened up a new location this summer at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Reid Park,Β 445 S. Alvernon Way.
Noble Hops's new spot offers mostly the same menu items as the original location, in addition to craft beers and cocktails.Β