We had the good fortune of connecting with Miguel Leal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miguel, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I grew up in Monterrey, Mexico in a big family – we’d frequently make trips across the border and visit big retail stores like HEB and Walmart, which is how I first become interested in CPG. I loved exploring the variety of products that we didn’t have at home in Mexico, from peanut butter to fish sticks.

Fast forward, I’d moved to the U.S. and was working at KIND Snacks alongside Daniel Lubetzky, KIND’s Founder, and Rodrigo Zuloaga, KIND’s Head of Product Development. We are all from Mexico and would often find ourselves discussing the evolution of Mexican cuisine at restaurants and the lack of innovation at grocery shelves. We saw a gap in the market to bring real Mexican ingredients, flavors and recipes like we ate growing up to the masses in convenient and ready-to-eat meal solutions and joined forces to build SOMOS.

What should our readers know about your business?
SOMOS is a young brand, we’re just two years into our journey and it’s taken a lot of perseverance, grit and pivoting to get to where we are today, all of which is made possible by the incredible team we’ve assembled, which is definitely what I’m most proud of. I’m also proud that whenever possible, we’re working with vendors in Mexico, whether it be ingredient suppliers, manufacturers or photographers. Through the SOMOS team and our extended team of partners, we hope to change the way people in the U.S. consume and understand Mexican food.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Connecticut and one of my favorite parts of where we live is the proximity to New York City. In an hour, I can be in Manhattan and have access to all the city has to offer. My favorite things to do are to go for a run in Central Park and to the birria truck in Midtown.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to Daniel Lubetzky, Founder of KIND and my co-founder at SOMOS. Daniel has been a friend and a mentor to me for over 10 years. I’ve always been able to be trust him and fight battles together. Plus it has been very important to me to have a Mexican American role model that operates with success and the highest integrity.

Website: https://eatsomos.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatsomos/?hl=en

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsomos

Image Credits
SOMOS Foods

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