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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.