Siete Foods

Siete Foods is a US company founded in 2014 by Veronica Garza that makes nontraditional versions of traditional Mexican and Mexican-American ingredients and foods. According to Inc., the company "created a category in grain-free and dairy-free Mexican American staples".

History

The company was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2014 by Veronica Garza, who was diagnosed with autoimmune diseases while in high school and college.[1][2][3] Her brother Roberto suggested she try avoiding grains, legumes, and dairy to see if that would help with her symptoms.[1][4][5] She found that it did, and her entire family joined her in excluding these items, but all of these were common ingredients in Mexican, Mexican-American, and Tex-Mex cuisines that were a part of the family's typical meals.[1][4][6] In particular tortillas, typically included in every meal in these cuisines, were missed.[7][5]

Garza developed some recipes to create traditional items such as tortillas from nontraditional ingredients, such as almond flour, and started selling them from her home; eventually she was making 50 dozen tortillas in a weekend with the help of her family.[1][4] In 2014 Austin's Wheatsville Food Co-op started carrying her products.[1][2] By 2016 the products were being carried by Whole Foods.[8] In Canada, e-commerce retailer Natura Market carries Siete products.[9] According to Inc., the company "created a category in grain-free and dairy-free Mexican American staples".[3]

Garza's parents and her four siblings are employees; the company's name, Siete, is the Spanish word for seven, a reference to the seven of them.[2][6][3] In 2017, CEO Miguel Garza was named to Forbes' 30 under 30 list.[10][11]

By 2022 the company was projected to have retail sales of US$250 million and was the fastest-growing Latino/Hispanic food brand in the United States.[1][12] Forbes pointed out in 2018 that it had been decades since the category had a "challenger [brand] emerge", noting that Ortega was founded in 1897, Old El Paso in 1917, and Goya in 1936.[13]

Products

Products as of 2022 include tortillas, refried beans, tortilla chips, hard taco shells, cookies, seasoning mixes, and hot sauces in 60 stock-keeping units.[1][6][12] In 2022 they also produced their first product containing corn, a tortilla chip in collaboration with Nixta, who are dedicated to traditional maize-based products and nixtamilization methods.[1]

The company produced a cookbook, The Siete Table: Nourishing Mexican-American Recipes From Our Kitchen, in 2022.[1][14]

Juntos fund

The company operates a foundation that provides grants to small Latino/Hispanic food entrepreneurs.[1][2][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kavehkar, Kimya (2022-10-10). "Family Is the Foundation of One of the Most Successful Mexican American Food Brands". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  2. ^ a b c d Huddleston, Jr, Tom. "How the Mexican-American family behind Siete's grain-free tortillas hit $200 million in annual sales". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  3. ^ a b c Bienasz, Gabrielle. "Siete Family Foods CEO Miguel Garza on How to Cook Up an Authentic Brand". Inc.
  4. ^ a b c "Meet the family that changed the way some Americans eat Mexican food: "Tortillas are the centerpiece of the table"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  5. ^ a b "Texas siblings' grain-free tortillas lead to delicious success". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  6. ^ a b c "It's a family affair | Food Business News". www.foodbusinessnews.net. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  7. ^ Hughes, Chris (2019-11-01). "Tastemaker of the Month: Veronica Garza from Siete Family Foods". Austin Monthly Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  8. ^ "Siete Family Foods: Miguel and Veronica Garza". NPR. 15 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Siete". NaturaMarket.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  10. ^ Sorvino, Chloe. "Distribution Surges For Grain-Free Siete Family Foods After Deals With Target, Walmart And Kroger". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  11. ^ "Miguel Garza". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  12. ^ a b "Mexican-American Brand Siete Foods Launches Their 1st Plant-Based Canned Product". VEGWORLD Magazine. 2022-05-03. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  13. ^ Harris, Shayna. "Old El Paso: Meet Your Match". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  14. ^ Puckett, Susan. "Cookbook review: Abuela-approved dishes for every diet". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  15. ^ "Texas company opens national competition to Latino entrepreneurs". KOAA News 5. 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-01-18.