Winn or lose

Javi Nava sought to figure out what could occupy his time as his 22-year career with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office wound down.

But he was constantly distracted reminiscing about his mother's cooking growing up -- a Mexican menu completely handmade, right down to the tortillas. So with his mother as inspiration, Nava worked every free moment to perfect a salsa recipe that was a hit with fellow deputies. He later sold the salsa at farmers markets and at mom-and-pop retail stores.

Now Nava has a chance to expand sales of Javi's Salsa exponentially, courtesy of a Winn-Dixie program that creates a fast track to shelves in more than 150 regional locations. Called Winn-Local, the grocery store chain's parent, Southeastern Grocers, launched the program in January 2014, first in Mobile, Ala., and later in Jacksonville.