Press
Storm Watch.
Everything media, food writers, and podcast hosts need to cover Tomato Warning — a premium Florida salsa brand rated on the tornado scale, with a real origin story and a mission that funds disaster relief.
Brand Overview
Tomato Warning is a premium small-batch salsa brand rated on the Enhanced Fujita tornado scale — the same system meteorologists use to classify tornadoes. Five products, EF-1 through EF-5, spanning Coastal Calm (500-1,500 SHU) to Ground Zero (200,000-350,000 SHU). Published Scoville ranges on every jar. Flavor-first formulation at every heat level.
The brand addresses a gap no other salsa company has solved: inconsistent heat labeling. No FDA or USDA standard exists for "mild," "medium," or "hot." The EF scale replaces guesswork with published data. At least 10% of net profits fund named regional disaster relief organizations — reported annually with specific dollar amounts.
Origin Story
During a summer storm in Southern Illinois, a three-year-old boy named Max looked up at his dad and said, "Daddy, there's a Tomato Warning." He meant tornado. The name stuck — first as a family joke, then as something more.
When the family moved to Florida, storms followed. Gulf Coast hurricanes. Devastation across the Southeast. Watching communities lose everything and rebuild from nothing changed the meaning of that innocent mispronunciation.
Tomato Warning became a premium salsa brand rated on the Enhanced Fujita tornado scale — EF-1 through EF-5, from a gentle coastal breeze to total devastation. Five salsas. Five storms. At least 10% of net profits go directly to disaster relief organizations helping communities recover from the real thing. A kid said the wrong word at the right time. Now it means something.
Fast Facts
- Founded
- 2026
- Based in
- Gulf Coast, Florida
- Product
- Premium small-batch salsa, five EF-rated heat levels
- Scoville range
- 500 SHU (EF-1) to 350,000 SHU (EF-5)
- Status
- Pre-launch — DTC and Gulf Coast farmers markets
- Mission
- At least 10% of net profits to regional disaster relief organizations, reported annually
Downloads
Brand kit — available at launch. Contact us to request early access.
Fact sheet — available at launch. Submit an inquiry for advance copy.
Press Inquiry
Covering specialty food, heat culture, or mission-driven brands? We respond to all press inquiries within two business days and can provide founder interviews, product samples, and high-resolution assets.