By THERESA HOGUE
Corvallis Gazette-Times | Posted: Sunday, September 9, 2007 12:00 am
Friends mix business with philanthropy
Rows of jade green tomatillos line the countertop of Robin Stover and Martha Mendez's immaculate North Albany kitchen, ready for use.
Mendez works on slicing up a line of avocados, while Stover guts some jalapeno peppers, all in preparation of their renowned salsa verde.
The long-time best friends share an elegantly decorated home, a counseling ministry and a thriving salsa business.
Perhaps more importantly, they share an outlook on life and business that includes a heart for philanthropy that takes them to Africa several times a year.
Currently, Mendez and Stover are active in two African projects, one in Uganda and one in Sierra Leone. They sit on the board of Show Mercy International and helped build an orphanage in Uganda that serves 80 children, personally helping with the interview process to allow children in. A school, medical center and smaller cottages are in the works.
Their home-grown salsa business, Heaven's Garden of Oregon, is a popular destination at the Saturday Corvallis Farmer's Market, as visitors gobble up samples of salsas ranging from the sweet Black Cherry Pinot Noir to the picante flavors of Salsa Zamora. The salsas are made by hand, almost exclusively from local ingredients.
"This is our test kitchen," Mendez said as they whipped up a few salsa flavors. "All new recipes are created within this area."
The women, who were both active in ministry in California, met and became friends based on their passion for helping others.
When Stover went through a divorce, Mendez moved in as a roommate to share expenses and friendship.
In 2003, they traveled to Romania along with some missionary friends. There, they visited orphanages and Roma camps, and were stirred by the poverty they found. They became determined to find a way to help.
"We said, 'Let's do something together.' And what do we both love to do? We both love to cook," Stover said.
They relocated to North Albany on the advice of a friend and began to operate their counseling ministry as well as launch the salsa business.
At first, they focused solely on the Farmer's Market, but now sell to boutiques, wineries and other places around the West.
"We decided we need to go a little bit bigger if we really want to have an effect outside of our community," Mendez said.
In October, they'll be traveling to Sierra Leone to establish a "baby house," or special place for infants whose mothers have died in childbirth, a common cause of death in that country. The home will provide caretakers and education through adulthood, including vocational training.
"We're looking at this as a long-range goal," Stover said. And the baby house is just the first step.
"We need to do a phase two to help prevent women from dying," Mendez said.
The two are in the process of getting nonprofit status for their Heaven's Garden ministry, so that donations directly to their Africa projects will be tax-deductible
Nurturing a thriving salsa business will also help further their goals.
"The more money we make," Stover said, "the more we can do over there."
For more information, go to www.heavensgardenoforegon.com.