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RW Garcia Tortilla Chips

Thursday, January 5, 2017
filed under: Utilization/Trade

Tortilla chips may not sound like a healthy snack, but RW Garcia tortilla chips are no ordinary chip. The San Jose, Calif.-based company uses the highest quality premium ingredients, including sunflower oil.
       Jody Kerzman talked with RW Garcia’s senior director of marketing, Genelle Chetcuti, about the company and why sunflower oil is such an important ingredient.

Explain the idea behind your company.
       RW Garcia is a family-owned and -operated company that produces great-tasting, better-for-you artisan snacks. Our family’s mission is to be snack innovators.

What makes your products stand out?
       Three generations of Garcia’s work in the family business and because RW Garcia is a family-owned and -operated company, we are actively involved in every step of the creative and manufacturing process — from R&D to sourcing to production and packaging. That’s why every RW Garcia snack is delicious and made with the highest quality ingredients, including sunflower oil.

Can you tell me a little about the history of your company?
       More than 30 years ago, Robert and Margaret Garcia took out a loan for $1,000, bought a van and began independently selling tortilla chips to local grocery stores. Before long, they realized they could make their own tortilla chips and have more control over product quality and innovation. Today, three generations of the family work in the business and continue to drive RW Garcia forward.

What kinds of challenges have you faced along the way?
       One of the turning points for RW Garcia was when our founders, Robert and Margaret Garcia, decided to oversee all aspects of the company. This was a challenge at first, because they went from independent sellers to having control over R&D, sourcing, production, packaging — everything from start to finish.
       But this oversight and commitment to quality also set us apart from other snack brands. Our family is proud to be actively involved in every step of the process, and customers can taste that in every product we make.

Why sunflower oil?
       Sunflower oil has many health benefits, including improving heart health, boosting energy and strengthening the immune system. It also contains lower cholesterol than other oils. Plus, it has the perfect heating temperature to make delicious, crisp tortilla chips and crackers.

Approximately how much sunflower oil do you use each year?
       All RW Garcia products use a combination of sunflower oil and corn oil to achieve the best tasting, healthiest chips and crackers possible. We use upwards of four million pounds of sunflower oil each year in our two facilities.

What market segments do you supply?
       The RW Garcia customer is someone interested in “better,” just like our president and CEO, Robert Garcia. Our customers look for products that embody authenticity and transparency, and bear third-party certifications for being non-GMO and gluten-free. They want snacks that are made with real, high-quality ingredients such as chickpeas, kale or beets, and that are also delicious and fun to eat.
       Today, RW Garcia products are available throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

What are the latest trends in the market segments you serve?
       Our customers seek out clean labels and innovative flavor combinations. They want to see an ingredient list that is short and pronounceable, but that also contains new ingredients. That’s why we are creating chips and crackers with exciting seasonings and uncommon bases such as ancient grains, pulse crops and root vegetables. They also want versatile, standby snacks they can count on for a big family gathering or game day; our MixtBag and Big Bag tortilla chips are an established favorite.

What is your customer’s perception of sunflower oil?
       Being that our customer seeks out healthful, clean ingredients and prioritizes non-GMO certification, sunflower oil is a welcome sight on our ingredient list. Our consumers also perceive sunflower oil to be heart healthy, as it has less saturated fat than other tropical oil options.

Any new offerings, new products?
       We just introduced a new line of Pulse Chips at the Summer Fancy Food Show in June. We’ve been looking to utilize pulse crops because they are versatile, earth-friendly and delicious, and this new line honors the United Nation’s International Year of the Pulse. The three new varieties are Black Bean & Ancient Grains, Chickpea & Ancient Grains, and Lentil & Ancient Grains. They are non-GMO Project Verified, certified gluten-free and kosher. The new Pulse Chips are made with a combination of sunflower oil and corn oil.

Are you doing advertising, PR, social media or grassroots efforts to promote your product? If yes, what?
       We employ a number of marketing tactics, including retailer marketing and public relations. We love interacting with fans and sharing recipes and news on our social media channels.
       Check us out at @RWGarciaSnacks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What does the future hold for your company? New products? New promotions or marketing strategies?
       Our family has had a longstanding commitment to making artisan, high quality, clean label snacks, even before it became “trendy.” We plan to continue leading the category in sustainability, authenticity and transparency through innovative new product introductions. Our team is working on nutrition and flavor developments that showcase ingredients such as ancient grains, pulses and vegetables, combined with seasonings and other additive- and preservative-free ingredients.