Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Quintanilla. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
Chamoy anything in South Texas is huge! I first started because the company I bought from was in California and was not up to my standards. Now there are so many people starting chamoy businesses right here in San Antonio. Every market you go to has a chamoy booth. However, our chamoy does differ from others in many ways. Our chamoy dips are thicker than most so they don’t drip off of your drink, they are smooth versus grainy, and the flavors we offer taste exactly what they are supposed to taste like. We hear many times that our chamoy is consistent. We don’t throw store bought chamoy on our candies, we use our own and season it with our own ingredients. We work hard on perfecting flavors before we release them because we see so many people in this industry rush out products with no success. We are in a race with ourselves and hope to encourage others.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Lauren, the creator of Hoodrat Dips, a chamoy dip and candy small business. I started this adventure in 2020 during the peak of COVID. A friend referred a chamoy company based out of California to me so I could get some goodies to rim my drinks. When I received them, I was not happy with the texture. It ran down my hand and made a mess. I thought to myself, “I can do this,” I played around with $150 worth of ingredients and BOOM! I knew I was on to something. I shared it with family members and their friends asked if I was selling it. With the encouragement of my husband and my daughter’s stepmother, Janie, we launched Hoodrat Dips.
Two years later, we have nine flavors of dips, 9 candies, and 3k+ followers on social media. Not to mention the fact that we were just awarded San Antonio’s Favorite Chamoy at the 1st annual Chamoy Fest! We have worked very hard to get to this point. Up until recently, I was working full-time, as well as going to school full-time, plus my mom duties. Janie who is my partner in Hoodrat Dips and my daughter’s stepmother, has a full-time job and another business as well. We have been blessed to have my husband help us with the extras that we need here and there.
Our Hoodrat family relate to the names of our products such as “Chingona” which is our Sal y Limon chamoy and “Barrio Bears” which are our gummy bears coated in our chamoy. I choose our names to reflect my Chicanx culture that my Popo has always made sure I am proud of. We want our company to reflect the Chingonas like us, who push through every day, even the bad ones, and get things done.
My daughter and son have seen me on the days where I am running on no sleep, doing their daily routines, then making dips, putting them to bed, only to start homework right after. I let them know that nothing is given to them, and they have to work hard and stay humble! With that, God will bless them as he has done to us this far! We love our customers and can’t wait to grow even more.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My business partner is my daughter’s stepmother. We have been co-parenting since she was 2, she is now 11. She has pushed me to reach for the stars in all aspects of life. We have a history, and it hasn’t always been pretty, I think this is why we have the bond we have now. We aren’t afraid to hurt each other’s feelings, but we also are the best people to brainstorm with. This is definitely reflected in Hoodrat Dips. We hear it all the time on how our energy brings life to those around us. We attend many pop-up markets and even among other chamoy vendors, we wish nothing but success to them because we know good vibes out, bring good vibes in. That’s just how we have felt throughout this adventure, and we will continue to do so.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Our social media reflects the essence of our culture. We were born and raised in San Antonio, and we do ship all over. We want our products to reflect where we come from. We have videos of our products with background music of Ramon Ayala and Selena. We also like to shake it to Bad bunny and create that vibe with our products. When our Hoodrats send us pictures or tag us in their stories, they reflect that back at us. We have stayed true to ourselves. We do not want to change chamoy into this elegant treat, we want to keep the backyard carne asada, with the tias belting out “Duele” by Elida Reyna vibe with our products. We want those happy memories shared to create new ones. This is why I feel our social media is successful. We give them glimpses into our lives, we make them feel like they are family, and we welcome them with open arms like tias would. This and the taste of our products is what keeps the numbers going up.
Contact Info:
- Website: hoodratdips.com
- Instagram: hoodrat_dips
- Facebook: Hoodrat Dips