Jimmy Kimmel Live! favorite Guillermo Rodriguez is stepping off the soundstage and into the grocery aisle with Guillermo’s Salsa, a fresh, cold salsa line that lands at Northeast Costco stores on January 15, 2025.
Co-founded with Ithaca Hummus creator Chris Kirby and backed by Kimmelot Labs for branding and marketing, the line promises “real ingredients, zero nonsense, and flavor that delivers,” according to the official release shared with News Of Losangeles.
From Security Guard to Salsa CEO
Rodriguez, 54, has spent 23 years on the late-night show after being discovered while working as a security guard in the studio parking lot. Now he’s channeling his on-camera charm into a food venture he says he first imagined more than two decades ago.
- 2003: Rodriguez dreams up the salsa concept
- 2025: Product debuts in Costco’s Northeast region
- 2026: National retail rollout planned
Three Heat Levels, One Heritage Recipe
Each 16-ounce tub is refrigerated and labeled with playful taglines that mirror Rodriguez’s persona:
| Heat Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Mild | “Farm-fresh flavor with just a whisper of fuego” |
| Medium | “Tickles your mustache… like Guillermo after a shot of tequila” |
| Hot | “Habanero kick spicier than a telenovela” |
Ingredients are limited to chopped tomatoes, lime juice, onions, cilantro, and peppers-no preservatives and a refrigerated shelf life far shorter than shelf-stable jarred competitors.
Marketing Built on Authenticity
Kimmelot Labs, the venture studio led by Jimmy Kimmel, is steering creative and marketing, leaning into Rodriguez’s everyman appeal. Kirby stresses that the goal was never a “celebrity brand” but rather “a salsa worthy of Guillermo’s story and good enough to earn a permanent spot in people’s hearts (and carts).”
The first run targets Costco’s Northeast footprint, with additional grocery and specialty chains slated for later in 2026. Distribution will expand region by region, mirroring the slow-build strategy Kirby used to scale Ithaca Hummus from farmers-market tables to national chains.
Cultural Mission Behind the Product
Rodriguez positions the brand as a way to “bring fresh energy to the Hispanic foods category,” noting that mainstream salsa aisles are dominated by long-life jars. By keeping the recipe cold and the ingredient list short, he hopes to introduce U.S. shoppers to the table-salsa style his grandmother prepared in Mexico.
The release emphasizes that the salsa is “made by a man who went from security guard to sidekick to salsa,” underscoring Rodriguez’s own American-dream narrative.
Early Retail Strategy
- Launch: January 15, 2025, Northeast Costco warehouses
- Price point: aligned with premium refrigerated dips
- Packaging: clear 16-oz tubs with Rodriguez’s cartoon likeness
- Promotion: in-store demos tied to Super Bowl season
Kirby says pre-launch tastings scored high on both flavor recall and purchase intent among Costco shoppers, encouraging the partners to accelerate production rather than stage a limited drop.
Why It Matters
A late-night personality translating TV fame into a national grocery line isn’t new, but Rodriguez’s direct involvement in recipe development and branding-plus the partnership with an experienced natural-foods operator-signals a move beyond mere licensing deals. If the salsa resonates, it could open refrigerated shelf space for more fresh, Latino-inspired products in mainstream stores.
