Tia Lupita Foods on 'Shark Tank': Here's how you can turn your boring food into Mexican delights
TIBURON, CALIFORNIA: In 'Shark Tank' Season 14 Episode 20, Tia Lupita Foods' Hector Salvidar gives the Sharks a taste of Tia Lupita Foods, his range of healthy Mexican culinary items. When Hector presents Tia Lupita Foods, his brand of healthy Mexican dishes, to celebrity investors, does he receive any offers?
'Shark Tank' returns with a new episode this week. Tia Lupita Foods' owner markets their products in this episode. They are hoping for a bite from one of the sharks to help propel their business forward.
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What is Tia Lupita Foods?
Tia Lupita Foods, founded by Hector, is a company that represents the passion, heritage, and flavors of Mexico while also producing creative and healthy products. Hector's mother, Tia Lupita, inspired the company's name, and its products are based on treasured family traditions passed down through generations.
Tia Lupita Foods' journey began when Hector relocated from Mexico to San Francisco, California. His mother would give him bottles of her homemade spicy sauce on a monthly basis to ensure Hector always had a flavor of home. As Hector shared the delectable sauce with his pals, it quickly acquired popularity, and people began to clamor for more. Recognizing the potential of his mother's spicy sauce, Hector traveled to Mexico to seek Tia Lupita's permission to share the family recipe with the rest of the world.
Tia Lupita Foods debuted its first product, a trademarked spicy sauce based on Tia Lupita's family recipe, in 2018. Tia Lupita was named after Hector's mother and the family's culinary tradition. Hector remembers his mother's passion for cooking and how she used to put a curler on her head to keep her fringe out of her eyes—a feature that inspired the brand's design.
Tia Lupita has broadened its product options since its original introduction to include healthier and more innovative options. Cactus tortillas, grain-free cactus tortilla chips, and two types of Salsa Macha—one with pepitas, peanuts, and chiles, and another with pepitas, cranberries, and chiles—are now available. These new products are not only delicious, but they also meet current dietary requirements because they are high in fiber, non-GMO, and gluten-free.
Nopales Cactus's influence
The Nopales Cactus, often known as the prickly pear, is a crucial element in Tia Lupita's products. This native Mexican plant is a sustainable superfood that has been utilized in a variety of culinary recipes for millennia. Tia Lupita Foods highlights the adaptability and nutritional advantages of the Nopales Cactus by including it in its products.
Value of recycled foods
Tia Lupita Foods is likewise devoted to sustainability, as seen by the ingredients used in its products. Their usage of okara, a fiber-rich portion of soybeans that are recycled into grain-free flour for their tortillas, is one such example. This practice not only reduces waste but also offers extra health advantages to customers while being ecologically beneficial.
Who is the founder of Tia Lupita Foods?
Hector immigrated to the United States in 2007 from Monterrey, Mexico. Hector knew the lay of the land better than most ambitious entrepreneurs when he resigned from his day job in 2016 to create his own food company, Tia Lupita, and part of that was understanding the value of a good story.
He graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Hector then earned a Master of Science in European Business from EDHEC Business School. In 2019, he enrolled at Columbia Business School to pursue Executive Education, Marketing - at CMO Academy. Hector later earned a degree in Executive Education Diploma, Business Scaling from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Hector began his career as a Six Sigma Project Manager at Enertec Mexico, where he worked for a little over a year. He then spent nearly three years in different roles at Klass Time LTD. He then joined Nestle in 2008 as a Customer Development Account Manager at Nestle Sales Division - EMD, where he stayed for nearly four years. He joined Diamond Foods, Inc in 2014 and worked there for four years before starting his own firm, Tia Lupita Foods.
His LinkedIn bio reads, "I am an immigrant with 14 years of CPG experience. I started as a field rep and have moved up the ranks working for companies such as Nestle USA and Diamond Foods where I have done from customer development to market strategy and planning for a ¼ billion-dollar brand."
Tia Lupita Foods' success was not without its difficulties. Hector encountered several challenges during his professional career, including being underpaid and passed over for advancements owing to his accent. However, with determination and his wife's backing, Hector took a risk by beginning his own firm. Tia Lupita Foods is now a tribute to Hector's perseverance and dedication to sharing his family's culinary tradition with the rest of the globe.
What is the cost and where to buy Tia Lupita Foods from?
Anyone who sees Tia Lupita Foods on 'Shark Tank' and wants to taste it for themselves may do so by visiting the company's website at tialupitafoods.com. When shopping for items on the Internet, you have numerous possibilities. There is a 'Shark Tank' deal available, including a Super Pack for $35. This features one of each of the Sharks' favorite goods from the episode.
Two packets of each sauce are normally available for $13.99. The chips cost $5.99 and come in a variety of flavors. This comprises the flavors Chipotle, Habenero, Hot Sauce, Salsa Verde, and Sea Salt. Corn tortillas cost $7.99, while grain-free cactus tortillas are $8.99. They also have a few items available on Amazon.
There are also bundle options, such as 12 bottles of each of the four sauces for $71.99. Furthermore, gift cards beginning at $10 are available. Viewers of 'Shark Tank' can also find the product in a variety of grocery shops. Locations differ depending on where you are in the United States. Sprouts, WalMart, Safeway, Real Foods, Harvest Ranch Market, and Whole Foods are among them.
Some of the reviews on the website are really positive. One of them reads, "The salsas are excellent and much appreciated!" While another customer added, "Wonderful. I love the all-natural ingredients, low sodium, and packed with great flavor." Happy with the customer service, a buyer wrote, "Purchased a large order for a group of employees. Customer service was extremely personable and allowed for individual mailing addresses for each employee. The hot sauces themselves were a big hit! I've never had a hot sauce as flavorful as these!" While picking their favorite, a person wrote, "I love these sauces because they are all about a deep flavor profile and not a thin, watery heat blast. I eat my morning smoked salmon, cream cheese, and Scandinavian dark bread with a dose of Habanero. The Chipotle adds a nice kick to my vegetable soup lunch and the Hot Sauce is very versatile and I tend to use it up the quickest."
Where is Tia Lupita Foods now?
You might argue that the founder Hector's business approach has developed since creating the Mexican company Tia Lupita. Hector now has a staff of five people and 13 SKUs, including salsa macha, cactus tortillas, cactus tortilla chips, and a variety of sauces.
Despite a pandemic looming in the background, Tia Lupita Foods has seen year-over-year sales more than treble since 2019. Their sales in 2021 were $1.5 million, and Hector stated that he was on schedule to bring in $3 million in 2022. Hector noted food stores were only attempting to keep shelves stocked during the peak of the outbreak. Recognizing that the moment was not perfect to launch a new product, Hector chose to pivot. Once the epidemic had passed, grocers were ready for something fresh, which Tia Lupita provided.
You might argue that the founder Hector's business approach has developed since creating the Mexican company Tia Lupita. Hector now has a staff of five people and 13 SKUs, including salsa macha, cactus tortillas, cactus tortilla chips, and a variety of sauces.
Despite a pandemic looming in the background, Tia Lupita Foods has seen year-over-year sales more than treble since 2019. Their sales in 2021 were $1.5 million, and Hector stated that he was on schedule to bring in $3 million in 2022. Hector noted food stores were only attempting to keep shelves stocked during the peak of the outbreak. Recognizing that the moment was not perfect to launch a new product, Hector chose to pivot. Once the epidemic had passed, grocers were ready for something fresh, which Tia Lupita provided. Today, the brand is available in approximately 5,000 locations. Tia Lupita may be found on both the West and East coasts, as well as in Texas, New York, the Mid-Atlantic, and the North Atlantic. Three of Tia Lupita's spicy sauces are now available at Walmart, the brand's first mass channel client. With the introduction of a 32-oz bottle of spicy sauce at Costco Canada, the brand is expanding its reach.
Hector stated he changed his marketing to match the surge in conscious consumption since moving beyond spicy sauce. Tia Lupita debuted a range of tortillas and tortilla chips using cactus as the main ingredient. He went on to say that he didn't see sustainability emphasized in the message of other Mexican firms. He took out $85,950 from a successful WeFunder campaign in May 2022 to assist fuel his quick development.
Tia Lupita Foods has received praise and awards for its distinctive and delectable products. The brand's accomplishments include entering the natural foods specialty channel, winning the Expo West virtual pitch slam, and collaborating with Fenty Beauty on an upcoming lip product. Tia Lupita Foods continues to deliver joy and a sense of home to people all over the world by mixing traditional Mexican flavors with innovative and sustainable products, all while honoring Tia Lupita's legacy.
Who will steal the deal?
Hector has a minimal probability of getting a deal. He may not even require it once, given his business's success. While Shark Mark Cuban has made significant investments in healthy food products, he may pass on this one. His asking price may force Hector to leave without a deal.
'Shark Tank' Season 14, Episode 20 airs on ABC on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 8.pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Dapper Boi, Hunny Bunchies, Tia Lupita Foods, Play Maysie, and an update on Oogiebear.
Missed an episode? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand, or on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.