Austin Allan, a 1998 graduate of WW-P High School (South), founded Tio Gazpacho, an organic, vegan drink company. He was recently featured in “Edible South Florida” magazine. “I grew up eating the worst junk food,” he told Edible South Florida. “I was overweight and not active.” He discovered gazpacho in Spain and began drinking it and losing weight.
Allan launched Tio Foods in December, 2012, to bring drinkable gazpacho — which he fell in love with during the four years he lived in Spain — to American consumers. “The concept caught on quickly as a savory, low-sugar alternative to smoothies and juices,” Allan wrote on his Linked In page.
Allan and his family moved to West Windsor in 1988. Allan began third grade at Maurice Hawk School, attended Dutch Neck, Upper Elementary (Millstone River), WW-P Middle School (Community), and WW-P High School (South). His brother, Andrew, who is three years his senior, also went through the WW-P school system.
Their parents are Shirley and Marv Allan, who still live in West Windsor. His mother has been a teacher of seventh grade science in the WW-P district since 1991, first at the WW-P Middle School, and has been at Grover Middle School since 1999. His father commuted into New York City, where he worked in the garment center as a designer and vice president of sales for several companies including Bobbie Brooks, Giorgio Sant Angelo, and Bill Blass. He retired several years ago.
At South Allan was an honor student, editor of the Pirates Eye for two years, and active in debate and dramatic productions. One summer he toured Spain and studied in Salamanca under the guidance of Berea Taylor and Antonio Gil, both Spanish teachers at WW-P.
“Austin was an impossible eater who did not like any vegetables,” says his mother. “His diet consisted of plain pasta, chicken, turkey burgers, macaroni and cheese, and anything with cheese on it. Much to my dismay, his favorite junk foods and drinks were Oreos, Cheetos, and orange soda.”
During college he went on a four-month study program in Spain. He stayed longer, taught English, and expanded his taste buds. After graduation from Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and marketing, he returned to Spain, where he developed better eating habits. He then worked for several banks in the U.S.
As of now the product is only available in South Florida. “We are working on extending the shelf life by using HPP (High Pressure Processing, also known as Cold Pasteurization) and we are aiming to be in the Northeast by next year,” says Allan. Visit www.tiogazpacho.com for information.
