We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Schwarz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.

Alright, Daniel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I was born in Monterrey, Mexico and have fond memories of growing up enjoying the flavors and cuisine of my heritage. After moving to the U.S I spent most of my career in the Tequila and spirits industry. This experience is what led me to begin traveling and discovering how Mexican snacks were marketed to U.S consumers.

Disappointed in the packaging and overall cultural stereotypes in Mexican heritage snacks offered at grocery stores, I decided there was a need to create a snack brand that genuinely celebrates the Mexico I know to be true– not the sombrero, red, white and green version that exists today. Ultimately I saw how Mexican flavors, stereotyped packaging and poor-quality snacks were misrepresenting my home country and launched CHUZA in 2021. Now every touch point of the brand is a celebration of Mexico and a beautiful representation of the culture. CHUZA’s mission is to share with the US what authentic Mexican culture tastes, smells, and looks like while spicing things up with a fun and delightful snack.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Before moving to the US I had a startup in Mexico that I sold and soon after moved to NY to work in corporate America for 10 years. Most of my time here was at a spirits beverage company where I managed Tequila brands. That job gave me the opportunity to share a window of our culture to the general public. During this time I was constantly craving my spicy hometown flavors, so between a passion of sharing my culture and the constant craving for spicy authentic snacks – I decided to look deeper into what to start on my own and when to do it. I love Mexico and I’m very happy living in the US so it couldn’t be more fitting to bring something from home to home.

Nothing has been easy, but I want to think it’s been fun. All the challenges while building the business so far have been overcome by a mix of perseverance, being nimble and not taking things personally. I want the world to know and taste CHUZA, as we are here to share our flavors, culture and flair with everyone. We offer a wide array of dried fruit spicy snacks inspired by the flavors of Mexico and its traditional candy. We also offer a stand alone chili seasoning great on fresh cut fruit, seafood dishes, and beverages. By using 100% Mexican spices from family farms we avoid using artificial flavors in all products and offer clients a sweet and savory snack with a kick.

We spent a long time and many trips down to Mexico to develop spicy recipes that would not only taste like home, but that would be well balanced all together. What sets us apart is the quality of our products, of the fruits, the 100% Mexican spices and how none of them have colors or artificial flavors. And most importantly, our constant pursuit of sharing our Mexican flavors and culture with our customers while being very proud of living in the US.

I’m very proud of many things. From seeing my kids (under 4 years old) loving CHUZA the same way my parents do. To the feedback we have received from our customers. One customer gave us a great analogy once – he said that people go to Mexico and feel they know Mexico, but it is not until you go and stay with a local that you get a sense of the country. He said you might have tried spicy snacks, but CHUZA tastes like that, like home.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a founder I’ve pivoted from entrepreneur to working in corporate, and back to entrepreneur. This all happened in the midst of moving out of my home country of Mexico and into the US. Looking back I always enjoyed the process of building something from the ground up. Going back to it felt natural and helped me bring an essential part of home to my new home in the US.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A crazy one is a time when our co-packer ran into issues one day before the start of our first CHUZA production run. In that moment I had to act quickly and for the better of the company. Luckily, I was able to find a different co-packer and CHUZA’s production ran on its regular course resulting in a great success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chuza.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuzasnacks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chuzasnacks/
• Linkedin: N/A
• Twitter: https://www.tiktok.com/@chuzasnacks
• Youtube: N/A
• Yelp: N/A

Image Credits
CHUZA