Did you know Latinos are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States? In Bísness School, NBC and Telemundo join forces to tell the stories of some of the most inspiring Latino founders. Hosted by journalist Fernando Hurtado, Bísness School highlights business owners across all industries, from entertainment to publishing and food. It sounds like business school, but it’s not. You can think of Bísness School as a lowercase MBA with uppercase guests. And while business school is expensive, Bísness School is free. Look out for new episodes every other Tuesday.
When Miguel Leal was in college, he had the chance to live with his grandma, and it was precisely at her kitchen where he learned how to make Mexican recipes. But as he grew older, he realized that a lot of people who loved Mexican food, especially in the U.S, didn't have an abuela that could teach them how to make these recipes. Miguel wanted to change that. He wanted to show Americans that Mexican food at home was more than hardshell tacos and greasy dishes, so he and his co-founders Daniel Lubetzky and Rodrigo Zuloaga, started SOMOS Foods, a brand of ready-to-eat non-GMO and gluten-free Mexican products. Today, the company makes the number one salsa brand at Whole Foods, according to SOMOS Foods, and it’s available in more than 9,000 retail locations across the country. Miguel Leal joins Bísness School to tell us why he decided to sell a company that was generating $100 million in sales, how being a marketing executive for the salsa brand Cholula shaped SOMOS Foods, and how years working at KIND Healthy Snacks, the company behind the popular snack bars, prepared him to launch a new business directed to third generation Hispanics in the U.S.
This episode was produced and edited by Miguel Estrada.
Follow SOMOS Foods at @eatsomos.
Follow Fernando Hurtado at @byfernandoh.
