Specialty Food Magazine

Alita Kelly F O U N D E R , S O U T H E A S T M A R K E T Age: 30 Miguel Garza C O › F O U N D E R A N D C E O , S I E T E F A M I LY F O O D S Age: 35 Miguel Garza has built one of the nation's largest Mexican-American–owned businesses, around the idea of grain-free tortillas. Garza, CEO, and his sister, Veronica, president, co-founded Siete Family Foods after she adopted a grain-free diet to help deal with some autoimmune conditions and began making tortillas using almond flour. They are among several family members involved in the Austin, Texas-based company. "We're navigating an entirely new space, and the food space is difficult to navigate," says Garza in an interview with Forbes magazine. In the interview, Garza says he was going to Whole Foods every morning when the company's products were first introduced there, helping keep the displays stocked and talking with customers. Siete has since branched out from tortillas into dips, sauces and seasonings, taco shells, tortilla chips, and apparel. The company's core values are "family first, family second, business third," Garza says, reflecting the closeness of the family. "I have been charged with stewarding the business in a certain direction, but then at the exact same time, I am the baby of my family, and I still listen to my parents outside of the business," Garza says. As a minority-owned business, Garza says he believes access to funding can be difficult for such operations. In order to secure bank support, he emphasized the education his family has—Garza has a law degree, his father is a lawyer, and his mother and sister both have master's degrees. "I just felt it gave us more credibility," he says.—M.H. Alita Kelly is creating a retail market focused on products from marginalized farmers and makers in Michigan. South East Market, based in Grand Rapids, will offer a venue where minorities, women, and others who operate food businesses in the state can sell their products to local consumers. Kelly says she hopes that by showcasing the products of these farmers and makers, South East Market will inspire more people to take an interest in how their food is produced. "One of our biggest goals is to help people get in touch with the true nature of their food," she says. Her experience managing nutrition programs and working with local food access organizations has helped her define the mission of South East Market. Local sourcing and sustainability will also be key areas of focus for the company. Kelly has been involved in several local community agriculture and food-related businesses, including serving on the board of Urban Roots, which is a local community farm and education center, and on the Grand Rapids Urban Agricultural Committee. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she studied environmental science and sustainable business. After returning to Grand Rapids, she discovered that several vendors from a local farmers market—many of whom were local people of color—were no longer exhibiting due to COVID-19 concerns. Kelly built a platform where these vendors could connect with local consumers. Plans call for the market to launch in January as an e-commerce business. "While this is an urgent need, I don't want the mission to be compromised because we roll it out too fast," says Kelly. South East Market will initially offer items such as meat, eggs, and grains, with produce to follow in the spring and summer. Customers can either build their own order or have an order assembled based on specific health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. Kelly is currently considering three different locations for the market that have been offered by local sources seeking to help advance South East Market's mission. "Part of the goal is to illuminate some of that disparity, and encourage our community to support the shift to a food system that represents the community it serves," Kelly says.—M.H. Continued on p. 66 PHOTOš CONSCIOUS CLOTHING PHOTOš SIETE FAMILY FOODS FALL Œ‹

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