We had the good fortune of connecting with Doug Renfro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doug, do you have a budget? how do you think about personal finances?
My first job out of college was in the financial planning and analysis department of the late Ross Perot’s company, so I have a spreadsheet for everything in my life! As I get older, I’m definitely focusing more on building up assets and paying down debt. We’ve been fortunate to pay for our three children’s college experiences plus two weddings in full now. My wife and I love to travel. We’ve seen so many friends, family and acquaintances pass away or suffer health and/or economic setbacks that we don’t take the ability to travel for granted. We aren’t frivolous but we also try to live in the moment. Regarding boats, country clubs, vacation homes, I stick with the philosophy of “I don’t need to own these things, I just need YOU to own them!” (And then obviously invite me to enjoy them with you; I’ll bring the salsa.)

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I spent every summer from 6th grade through high school working at our factory, performing the most menial jobs for the lowest pay. This was extremely good character-building activity. When in undergraduate studies, I lived at home and mixed the spices for our company in the afternoons and early evenings, having spent the mornings in class in Denton. I was very fortunate to be hired by EDS in Dallas upon graduation. I was suddenly wearing a coat and tie to work and not smelling like garlic! My co-workers came from all over the world and were among the smartest people I’d ever been around. I learned a tremendous amount and was given ever-increasing amounts of responsibility. The company was a true meritocracy at the time, so even though I was very young (21 when they hired me), I was promoted frequently to be in charge of older employees. The corporate life can be very rewarding financially but as the company was acquired by one of the largest companies in the world, the culture changed to be more “corporate.” The financial aspect was wonderful, the people were great, but I wanted a chance to be in control of my life, a company’s products, etc. My dad and my late uncle took a risk and hired me with no specific initial goals. My two cousins who already worked here were very kind and gracious about my return as well. The last 30+ years of working with my family to grow our company 12-fold has been tremendously exciting, rewarding and occasionally terrifying.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely love eating, drinking and touring. I’m biased because I know so many local restauranteurs and/or many of them are also customers (we make product for dozens of other companies who don’t have their own condiment factories.) I would begin the first day having migas at Esperanza’s (owned by the Joe T. Garcia’s family.) For lunch, we might visit a Torchy’s Tacos location or have Thai food at Spice on Magnolia. In the afternoon, we’d visit The Modern, The Kimbell and/or the Amon Carter art museums, all of which are walkable from each other. Dinner would be at Don Artemio and we would drink some of their awesome Mexican wines. For a nightcap, we’d have a craft cocktail at The Basement Lounge, Proper or The Usual.

Day two would begin with a super-interesting breakfast at Righteous Foods, then we’d get an outdoor patio table at Joe T. Garcia’s, maybe one margarita, then visit Fort Worth’s amazing zoo. For dinner, we’d have to choose from Paris 7th, Grace, Osteria 61, Piola, LIli’s Bistro, Ellerbe or another half dozen wonderful spots. After dinner, we’d head to The Magnolia for wine or a cocktail.

The rest of the week would be spent visiting all the restaurants listed above that we hadn’t experienced yet. Afternoons would include visits to Clearfork for shopping, along with meals at Mesero and Malai Kitchen there. If we still had energy, we’d head over to the stockyards and check out The Drover, Lonesome Dove, The Stockyards Hotel, all the cool places in Mule Alley, then visit the world’s biggest bar, Billy Bob’s.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I always try to remember to remind everyone that my grandparents were the entrepreneurs, not me or my parents. George and Arthurine Renfro were brave enough to start a business from their home in 1940 after having survived The Great Depression. We make 180 jars of salsa per minute now but it all started with my grandparents’ dream.

Website: https://www.renfrofoods.com

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