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Co-founder Jack Bessudo Tamalitoz by SugaroxWhile traveling for an advertising job, she discovered another calling: candy making.
What particularly piqued Besud’s interest in the job was a visit to a candy shop in Sydney, Australia: “I fell in love with the whole process,” he says. Entrepreneur“So when I saw it, I thought, I plan to learn the art of baking someday. [and] And then open a store like this to share the recipes with people and develop new flavors.“
Images/Photos: Tamalitoz by Sugarox
In 2010, Besudo left his 9-to-5 job to jump into the confectionery industry. He knew a lot about branding and marketing, but nothing about candy-making. Determined to learn, Besudo brought an expert from Australia to Mexico City, where he was based at the time. A three-month “crash course in candy-making” then began in a vacant apartment owned by Besudo’s cousin in Coyoacán.
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“I got a lot of blisters on my fingers, but it was magical,” Bessudo recalls. “For the first time, I was able to work creatively with my hands, as opposed to an office or agency environment where you have to work with your head.”
It was around that time that Ms. Bessudo met her now-husband and co-founder, Declan Simmons, who was living in the U.K. at the time and was her confidant from the start: Mr. Simmons led the analytical side of the business, focusing on the brand message and the product itself, Ms. Bessudo said.
“When we opened the store, it became kind of a destination, a tourist attraction.”
Just six months after Besudo’s candy-making training began, he and Simmons opened their first store in a small Mexico City shopping center near Besudo’s home. They called it Sugarocks Candy Studio. “When we opened the store, it became kind of a destination, a tourist attraction,” Besudo recalls. “People would come and watch us make candy, and it was a lot of fun.”
From the start, Bessudo and Simmons were passionate about creating a candy with a difference: They envisioned an unlikely fusion between the sweet, spicy and sour Mexican candies Bessudo grew up eating, and Simmons’ traditional British sweets.
The boundary-pushing entrepreneurial spirit ran in the family. Besudo’s grandfather, Isaac Besudo, known in the U.S. as “Jack,” ran the soft-drink company Jarritos. Besudo recalled hearing a story about developing a tamarind flavor for the drink. Tamarind is a fruit that grows in a bean-like pod and has a nutritious, fibrous pulp and a sweetener called tamarind pepper. Potential antioxidant and antiviral propertiesand other medicinal properties.
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Besudo’s grandfather said people told him the tamarind-flavored soft drink “would be a big hit,” and it went on to become one of Jarritos’ best-selling products.
So Besudo and Simmons came up with an innovative treat: Tamalitos, naturally flavored fruit candies with chile lime and a touch of sea salt. The product’s name came from a woman who watched the two-hour process at Sugarlocks Candy Studio and remarked that the pillow-shaped candies looked like “beautiful tamalitos,” or “little tamales,” Besudo recalled.
Images/Photos: Tamalitoz by Sugarox
“It’s a crunchy, spicy flavor explosion that I think is really unique in the candy world,” Bessudo said. “Even if you’ve had Tamalitos 100 times, I think you’re still going to be wowed with every bite. That’s how much I believe in this product.”
“We weren’t sure how a premium Mexican candy brand would be received.”
Currently, Sugarox’s Tamalitoz comes in a variety of fruit flavors, including “Bite Me Blood Orange,” “Lip-Smacking Mango,” “Pineapple Galore,” “Divine Watermelon,” and of course, “Tantalizing Tamarind.”
After running their business in Mexico for several years and expanding sales to hotels and gift shops, Besudo and Simmons wanted to see how well their products would sell in the United States.
So they printed the first batch of Tamalitos pouches, and Besudo used his marketing background to create packaging that reflected the Mexico he comes from, which is “very modern, international, bright and fun.” Then they packed the pouches into suitcases and headed to Chicago for the Sweets & Snacks Expo.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Besudo admits. “We didn’t know how a luxury Mexican candy brand would be received. Mexican candy isn’t traditionally considered a luxury item, so we were entering this new space. It was new for us and new for the space.”
But Besud and Simmons were pleasantly surprised: Their candy was a big hit.
Images/Photos: Tamalitoz by Sugarox
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“It’s a lot of fun, [great] Feel the love from our retail partners.”
Looking back, Besudo believes Tamalitos entered the market at an ideal time, when people were looking for a break from the traditional offerings in the candy aisle.
Michaels was the first major U.S. retailer to sell Tamalitos. Today, the candy is sold nationally and internationally in a variety of grocery stores, including Whole Foods and Target, as well as online. The co-founders have expanded their product lineup to include Tamalitos Chewables (a low-carb option), Tamalitos Chili Pops, and Tamalitos Palomitas, a “Tex-Mex gourmet popcorn.”
Tamalitoz by Sugarox’s journey has been full of learnings from day one, from the first few months of making candy to working with major retailers and beyond.
Images/Photos: Tamalitoz by Sugarox
Additionally, the fact that Tamalitos is LGBTQ-owned and operated, something Besudo said the company “didn’t really promote” in Mexico, which is still very conservative and traditional, is more accepting of its identity in the U.S., and so are its partners. Texas-based supermarket chain HEB has invited Tamalitos to its annual LGBT Pride event in Austin.
“It’s a lot of fun, [great] It’s to feel the love from our retail partners,” Besud added.
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For aspiring entrepreneurs hoping to create their own unique venture in the snack industry, Besud suggests that above all else, “have a clear vision of what you want your brand to be” and develop a product that you truly believe in.
“If you have a product and you believe in your brand, there are lots of ways to get it off the ground without spending a lot of money,” Bessudo said. “A lot can be done online now. If you want to take the next step, trade shows are great. They’re a fun way to get in front of buyers. They’re also a good way to get your product tested by people who are constantly trying hundreds of different products.”
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