KIND Founder Launches Mexican Food Brand with Former Cholula, KIND Execs

KIND Snacks founder and chairman Daniel Lubetzky is looking beyond the snack aisle for his next bite. The outspoken executive and entrepreneur is aiming to take a fresh approach to Mexican food with the launch of his next venture, SOMOS.

The company was founded in 2020 by Lubetzky and several longtime colleagues, including Miguel Leal, formerly the CMO at Cholula and EVP at KIND, and Rodrigo Zuloaga, a nine-year veteran from KIND who led marketing for the company’s efforts in Mexico and last served as VP of international new business development. Leal, who is based in New York City, will also serve as CEO.

According to several job postings on Linkedin which have since been filled, the company will be “re-envisioning Mexican cuisine in the US with a focus on authenticity, convenience, and sustainability.” The posting goes on to state that Lubetzky, as well as his “two other KIND alumni” grew up in Mexico eating traditional dishes such as chilaquiles and tacos and missed these dishes when they moved.

“When they came to the United States, [our three founders] enjoyed meeting up with friends at great Mexican restaurants but were disappointed with the options available for creating authentic Mexican meals at home,” the posting notes. “Together, with their Mexican heritage and years of experience in CPG food, they’ll deliver ready-to-eat foods that honor Mexico’s rich culinary traditions and celebrate the cultural vitality of modern Mexico.”

An SEC filing from January of this year indicates that an entity known as Somos Amigos had raised $3.25 million of a total round of $3.75 million. In the filing, Lubetzky is listed as president of the company with Stacy Dick, president and CFO of Lubetzky’s investment firm Equilibra Partners, and Elle Lanning, KIND’s chief of staff and EVP of corporate development, also listed as directors.

Somos Amigos, which has an Austin address, also has several trademarks including: “SOMOS: Food From the Heart of Mexico” and “SOMOS Spirits.” The trademarks encompass the majority of the products sold in a grocery store, including tequila, mezcal, sauces, spreads, soups, snack mixes, seasonings, beans, and a variety of confectionery, savory snacks, and bakery items.

Along with the co-founders, the staff roster (according to LinkedIn) has pulled in some veterans from KIND and Cholula — which was sold by Catterton to McCormick in 2020 for $800 million. Leal’s Linkedin indicates he left the hot sauce brand in March of this year.

According to Linkedin, SOMOS’s current staff have all previously spent time at either KIND or Cholula. Coming from the snack brand is SOMOS VP of Digital and Ecommerce, while the brand’s head of sales, head of finance, head of supply chain and procurement manager all last worked for the hot sauce company.

According to research by Claritas conducted in 2019, the U.S. Hispanic population has surged from 22 million people in 1990 to a projected 72 million by 2024, representing 54% of the nation’s total growth. Furthermore, 2020 research by IRI and Boston Consulting group pointed to “products aimed at the Hispanic Market” as one of the consumer trends it expects businesses of all sizes to invest in over the next several years.

Of course, SOMOS is entering a competitive market, with some established competitors already trying to broaden their offerings to reach a younger audience. Ortega, recently launched cauliflower-based taco shells and tortillas, while General Mills has attributed some of its recent North American sales growth to Old El Paso, which has introduced affordably-priced meal kits

There’s also emerging brands in-market. For example, Siete Family Foods produces Latin-American inspired foods — but a difference could be in Siete’s emphasis on fusion and special diets, with products such as almond four-based tortillas and sea salt and vinegar chips sitting alongside Mexican shortbread cookies and enchilada sauces. Berkshire Partners also has brought on former Mission Foods CEO Javier Vélez-Bautista to develop El Dorado Foods, a “multi-category platform to acquire and develop innovative Latin-inspired food and beverage brands.”

However, the company has the potential to fill a gap in the market for affordable, authentic Mexican-inspired products that reach across all channels and appeal to younger consumers.

Still, there’s Lubetzky himself to consider. The KIND founder not only has a wide consumer reach, with a regular presence as a guest “shark” on television show Shark Tank, but also is a darling of the CPG industry with deep ties to retailers. His outspoken nature — which includes the need for businesses to be mission-driven and an emphasis on compassion and understanding for all – also appeals to younger consumers, who are looking at company values when making purchasing decisions.

“When team members are scared to be themselves, an organization’s culture can quickly turn sterile, risk averse, and stagnant. Having grown up in Mexico immersed in Latin culture, I am accustomed to a warm and open approach that includes not taking yourself or others too seriously,” Lubetzky recently wrote online in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. “I have observed American culture to be more serious and ‘by the book.’ While it is important for teams to operate professionally and with the utmost respect for one another, we could all afford to loosen up a little.”

SOMOS declined to comment for the story.