We were lucky to catch up with Octavio Orozco recently and have shared our conversation below.

Octavio, appreciate you joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

Chilesquiles turned 5 in October 2021, and as of today we have exceeded a 300% sales growth since 2017. It started as an educational family project selling at local farmers markets in the suburbs of Houston. Now our products are in over 60 stores across the country, we have a growing e-commerce presence with our online sales including a subscription program for our most loyal followers.

The pivotal moment for Chilesquiles came in 2018, our family project had become my passion. I found myself reevaluating where and how I wanted to spend my energy, saying goodbye to an all consuming career in advertising, I have since dedicated 100% of my time on growing Chilesquiles. Yes, my previous experience in marketing and advertising has helped me apply the business and communication strategies necessary to develop the Chilesquiles brand, have product extensions, enter new categories, and conquer new markets.

Not surprisingly, for me being close to the customers in the farmers’ markets has acted as the perfect Research & Development lab. When many big brands are moving farther away from buyers’ feedback, with their only product goal being to take up a larger share of the supermarket shelves, I credit this contact with the consumer as how I was able to define and achieve the growth of Chilesquiles over the last five years. Establishing three cooking sauces as a line of products that can confidently claim to be of highest quality, consistent, artisan level authentic Mexican flavors.

In 2019 I planned an expansion and started traveling around the country to reach new states. I did a series of events in the Southwest, Southeast and Midwest regions. I targeted these areas as I found there were limited offers of authentic Mexican food coupled with a great appreciation for handmade products.

That same year Chilesquiles contracted with a national distributor which brought with it the opportunity to reach a larger number of independent retailers: local general stores, small supermarkets and specialty gift boutiques.

2020 was, of course, the most challenging year as the world faced the pandemic. Scrambling with everyone else, I explored offering customers online sales, home delivery, and coordinated free shipping nationwide. Being one of the essential groups Chilesquiles was able to keep the production lines open, allowing for a 30% increase in sales compared to the previous year.

I must also give credit to how eager the community was to attend the farmers’ markets and outdoor grocery outlets in a concerted effort to support local small businesses.

With time on my hands I ventured into a new category of fresh salsas and introduced Chilesquiles Guac to the farmers’ markets, which is now considered one of the best fresh Guacamoles in Houston.

By 2021 the fresh salsa line had grown with the introduction of 3 flavors of Chilesquiles Pico de Gallo: Jalapeño, Serrano and Habanero. That year also brought not only an expanded presence in more retail stores in Texas, but also in California, Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina.

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

Hi, I’m Octavio Orozco born in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Mexico, I have lived for more than 15 years in the United States. I had an exciting but demanding 25 year career in advertising, including global agencies and the management of accounts in different industries and countries (Automotive, CPG, Tourism, Airlines and Entertainment.)
In 2015 I decided to look for a project to share with my children, a way to introduce them to entrepreneurship and mentor them while growing a family business. What I found was Chilesquiles.

Inspired by a traditional Mexican dish called Chilaquiles, a dish based on fried corn tortillas and a special sauce that cooks the ingredients of your choice. My eureka moment was when I realized that there was no special sauce on the market to cook this dish. Its preparation can be elaborate, and I felt I could offer a solution with a fresh recipe made from scratch, jarred and ready to cook sold at local farmer’s markets.

Once I identified this niche, I set out to develop a business plan, test the best recipes and most importantly, make sure the brand was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The salsa category has a saturated offer in the market but with a value of more than $1.4 billion and growth of almost 2% per year. My focus was to maintain the essence of authentic Mexican artisan recipes, made from scratch with a homemade taste and natural ingredients.

It has been 5 years since I started this venture that now has a complete line of products integrating: Cooking Sauces, Salsas, Tortilla Chips, Guacamoles and fresh Salsas Pico de Gallo.

I am proud that this idea, which originated from a homemade recipe, has become a brand made in Texas for the whole country. I have managed to commercialize Chilesquiles in different independent stores, develop an e-commerce platform and established a monthly subscription program for our most loyal customers.

Consistency, authenticity, preparation and quality ingredients are an essential part of Chilesquile’s success. I feel it’s a great honor when customers share their recipes with me and how Chilesquiles has become a staple in many homes in the US.

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

I spent more than 25 years working in the advertising industry, managing large international companies, some of them blue chips. Traveling through many places and changing residence in different cities and countries. It was a beautiful period of which I have good memories but at the same time I was making many personal and family sacrifices for the pursuit of a misinterpreted success.
I decided to change my destiny and leave a demanding career for a smaller and more enjoyable passion project. The satisfaction of personally creating a product that people appreciate, recognize, and seek out is by far the most rewarding sense of success I’ve experienced, and I highly recommend it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

2019 was a very difficult year; a divorce, heavy losses and a large financial opportunity that fell through led to personal bankruptcy.
Professionally, I decided to leave my career in advertising in search of a better quality of life, maybe some peace of mind. Free of worries, fears and the stress that had begun to consume me.

Today, I spend my time exercising, cooking, cultivating my passion for creativity and sharing with my children a calmer, more content lifestyle. I recently found a person who has many similarities in the way we see life and look for emotional balance.

For me the journey is lived in cycles, you have to enjoy each period and learn from your time there to be a better version of yourself for the next stage; continual cyclical growth.

Redemption coupled with tenacity, is the true grit of personal and professional perseverance.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://chilesquiles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chilesquiles/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chilesquiles
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/octavio-orozco-a7101a5/

Image Credits
Lorelei C Rao