Almost four decades ago, Roger Trevino Senior could have never imagined that the small beer salts company he launched out of his family garage would become a nationally recognized brand. From humble beginnings packing orders with his wife and children and hand delivering products to local San Antonio stores in his Crown Victoria, Treviño Senior used his business acumen to grow Twang into the impactful and culturally important brand it is today.
A Dash of Ingenuity
In 1986, Trevino Senior left his current role after experiencing an epiphany while on a business trip in Mexico. While patronizing a Mexican street vendor selling citrus salt, he recalled his childhood in San Antonio, with its abundance of vibrant flavors. He returned home inspired to create a variety of flavored salts to share with friends and family. His first product under the Twang brand name — and, to this day, his claim to fame — was Twang Beer Salt, an integral product in the Southern trend of “dressing” beers and other libations.
Recruiting his wife and kids to fulfill his vision by helping to fill boxes of beer salt in the family’s garage and including his daughter Elysia’s face on the packaging, Treviño Senior initially sold his Twang Beer Salt out of the trunk of the family Crown Victoria. Fast-forward 37 years, and the success of Twang Beer Salt has allowed the Treviños to move out of the backyard garage and into a 50,000-square-foot facility with 75 employees in West San Antonio.
Elysia Treviño-Gonzales, now President and Chief Executive Officer at Twang, describes her father’s journey, “He came from a humble beginning, worked hard in a career unrelated to food, and took a chance at something he was passionate about. He saw “flavor” as a vehicle of happiness for food and a way of life. Twang has continued to spread his message of adding flavor and fun to everyday eating and drinking one bite and sip at a time!
Twang remains committed to its family-first culture as well as its premium quality products. In fact, all three of Elysia’s brothers are also part owners with varying degrees of involvement, and her Ashlei and nephew Roger III work for the family business as well.
Savoring the Southern Tradition
Twang, which now bills itself as a purveyor of Mexican-inspired food- and beverage-enhancing products, quickly gained a considerable following within San Antonio. The city, already full of Mexican-American culture, was quick to adopt the brand, as many San Antonians were already familiar with the tradition of dressing your beer. For those unfamiliar, the salts are sprinkled onto the neck of beer bottles, the rim of beer glasses, and the tops of cans, thus enhancing the beer-drinking experience by adding a tangy, savory twist to each sip. The product is a simple, all-in-one solution to make drinking your cerveza tastier and more fun.
While traditional beer salt mixtures typically included salt and chili powder, modern purveyors like Twang have innovated this mixture and added all sorts of interesting flavorings. However, beer salt is not the same as regular salt (sodium chloride), although seasoning meats or grilled vegetables with it would be deliciouss.
The salt and lime hype quickly spread throughout the state of Texas. Twang Beer Salts has made “dressing your beer” a common practice throughout the Lone Star State and beyond. Although people in Mexico commonly added salt and lime to beers, Twang originated “citrus-flavored” beer salts, combining the two steps into one easy-to-use product.
What’s more, Twang’s beer salts are made in small batches with all-natural colors and flavors, kosher salts, pure cane sugar, and fragrant spices for the best quality and a clean addition to your bar cart.
The Treviños have since expanded the Twang product lines into more than flavored salts, sugars, and seasoning blends. Twang’s premium All-In-One Michelada Cocktail Mix is all-natural, vegan, and does not contain corn syrup or preservatives. It is made of 85% juice, organic Worcestershire sauce, Ancho Chilies, and lime juice. The versatile mix can also be used to make bloody marys and miche “nadas” (no alcohol). The Michelada Rimming Salt is a fusion of smoked sea salt and roasted tomato flavors with garlic, chiles, and red bell peppers.
Bringing Flavor to Every Aisle
In an effort to continue to grow its presence in markets with huge potential, Twang has expanded both distribution and marketing efforts into the Southern California market with its top-selling beer salts, michelada mixes, and more. Twang has also made its way onto grocery, liquor, and convenience store shelves throughout the country, with additional heavy emphasis in the Southwest. As the salt, lime, and beer ritual has crossed cultures and states, Twang has sought to continue sharing its brand and its knowledge of ‘how to dress beers’ outside of Texas to beer drinkers across the country.That being said, in September 2023, Twang announced the expansion of its retail presence into 3,500 Walmart locations across the United States with its signature lemon and lime beer salts.
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Expanding into more Walmart stores is significant to the San Antonio-based brand’s growing national presence. This expansion makes Twang beer salt more accessible in all states, including somewhere consumers might not yet be familiar with the product and the beer salt ritual. The development is timely, as existing and potential future consumers celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month alongside the founding Treviño family, who made their way to San Antonio six generations ago. Twang is excited to share this tradition with the rest of the country, both those who are familiar with beer salts and those who have yet to discover it is merits.
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