About ten years back, my brother and I came up with the idea of starting a tortilla business that would revolutionize how people enjoy tacos. We created a tortilla that has just 1 net carb and 15 calories, and it tastes great too. For a decade, we struggled to get our product into people’s hands, but now we’re out of obscurity, and consumers know about us.
Today, our company, Mr. Tortilla, holds the top spot for tortilla sales on Amazon, and our products are flying off shelves globally. Interestingly, the turning point for us came during the pandemic. So, how did we get here? To answer that, let’s go back to the beginning and see the challenges we faced in starting a business in the tortilla industry.
Starting out was tough. There are always obstacles when launching a company, and success can take years. Our biggest challenges were getting funding in those early days, getting our tortillas on store shelves, and keeping our spirits up during tough times.
My brother and I always dreamed of running a business together, so we knew it was going to be a family affair from the start. Fortunately, our father, who worked in food manufacturing, was a huge help in teaching us the ropes. Our family supported us financially and emotionally, which was crucial during the low points.
Securing funding is a common headache for new business owners. Year after year, when you’re barely able to make payroll or cover bills, it wears on you. My brother and I felt burnout several times during the first eight years and almost threw in the towel. But our faith and family pushed us forward.
Rejection, too, fuels that burnout. In the tortilla business, when you walk into a store, you might see lots of brands, assuming they’re made by many companies. But really, most of the store products come from just four major companies that control shelf space, leaving little room for newcomers like us. Something had to give. Since grocery stores weren’t open to us, we turned to restaurants, which started showing some promise. Just as we were gaining traction, the pandemic hit, shutting down our partners. We had to pivot once more, and that’s when we hit the jackpot.
When everything closed in 2020, people still needed food and turned to online shopping. This opened a door for us to dive into e-commerce, especially on Amazon. Partnering with Amazon was a game-changer. It gave us direct access to customers nationwide, solving many distribution issues we would have faced alone. No one does e-commerce like Amazon, particularly with their Prime delivery that gets products to customers in two days.
In our first year with Amazon, our sales more than doubled, and our workforce tripled to meet the demand. We also received over 10,000 positive reviews on Amazon, which many customers rely on when deciding to try new products.
Once we started succeeding with Amazon, the next task was to keep up the momentum. We did this by celebrating our wins publicly and using cost-effective marketing strategies. Social media was key in spreading the word. We knew our low-carb tortillas would appeal to the keto community, so we tailored our social media to reach them. Our TikTok features customer-submitted recipes, and some videos have millions of views. These videos are all made in-house and are virtually free to produce.
Social media is more budget-friendly than traditional TV commercials, particularly for new companies. But there are still essential marketing tools every business needs, like a website and email marketing.
Despite our huge success in the last two years, we’re still seen as a small business. There’s plenty more to achieve, but now we can look back and appreciate the challenges we overcame. Hopefully, our story can inspire other entrepreneurs too.
Anthony Alcazar, a true innovator and UCLA graduate, started Mr. Tortilla with his brother Ronald to transform the Mexican food experience by offering a healthier tortilla option.
