When Miguel Leal and his co-founders launched the modern Mexican food brand Somos Foods in 2021, they believed they were introducing a “Goya for millennials.” It turns out that Somos was more suited to be a “Rao’s for all consumers.”

Miguel is the CEO of Somos Foods, which he founded with Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky and Rodrigo Zuloaga, who, like Miguel, is a former Kind executive. Somos markets clean ingredient “simmer sauces,” salsa, rice and beans produced in Mexico and made using traditional techniques, according to the brand. The products are distributed in over 11,000 retail doors, including Target, Publix, Whole Foods Market, Walmart and Albertsons.

While the founders’ original concept – to “re-envision Mexican cuisine in the U.S. with a focus on authenticity, convenience, and sustainability” – has remained consistent, the communication of that message has evolved. Somos is now positioned as a brand for “Mexican meal solutions.”

Miguel says that the shift required the company to rethink nearly every aspect of the business, including marketing and product development. The undertaking was challenging and, at times, humbling for Miguel and his co-founders, each of whom have decades of experience in the food industry.

In this episode, Miguel speaks about the genesis of Somos, how he and the team came to the realization that the brand needed to adjust its positioning, mistakes that, in hindsight, were avoidable, identifying areas for improvement in how the products tasted and were named, and how their timeline for an potential acquisition has changed significantly.

Show notes:

0:35: Miguel Leal, Co-Founder & CEO, Somos Foods – Taste Radio editor Ray Latif visits with Miguel at Somos HQ in Stamford, Connecticut where the entrepreneur chats about the brand’s new simmer sauces, his roots growing up on the Mexico/U.S. border and how his profession career is anchored in food marketing. He also explains how the creation of Somos came from he and his co-founders being “frustrated with the options at US grocery,” how they erred in trying to build the brand in a similar way to how Kind Snacks was built, why he compares Somos to Legos and the meaning behind its name. Miguel also discussed the company’s emphasis on simple messaging and easy food prep for consumers, why he thought that at the outset that “in 3-5 years Somos could be a great acquisition target” and how he communicated the shift in strategy to the company’s investors.

Brands in this episode: Somos Foods, Kind Snacks, Cholula, Goya, Rao’s