Siete Foods has been Austin-based and family-owned and operated since its launch in 2014. Yes, this year Siete is seven years old. The family handmade each tortilla in a commercial kitchen delivered them until they expanded into Whole Foods in 2016 and realized they had to scale to meet demand. But, the idea had been germinating with Veronica Garza since 2010, when she had to change her diet due to an autoimmune condition and could no longer eat grains, a staple in her diet. We caught up with Veronica to learn more about the company that began selling homemade grain-free tortillas to Wheatsville Co-op – and now has 46 SKUs in nine different product lines from grain-free tortillas, taco shells and chips to sauces, seasonings, dips and sweets.
How did Siete start? I’d felt like I was missing out on traditional foods of my heritage and it pushed me to seek out alternatives, so I began experimenting in the kitchen. I missed being able to eat tortillas and knew I wanted to try creating grain-free options that I could enjoy. I never imagined I’d share my creations with others beyond my family and close friends, but with my family’s support and encouragement, we began selling grain-free almond flour tortillas that even my Grandma Campos (who made the best flour tortillas) loved.
And then you were making tortillas in your kitchen and delivering them to stores? We started selling our Almond Flour Tortillas in a single store, Wheatsville Co-op here in Austin, with the hope of growing into more stores in the future. We knew it took us two days to make two cases of tortillas, so my mom, dad, me, and anyone else in the family who could help would get together every weekend and press tortillas all day at our commercial kitchen in South Austin. Miguel, my little brother (and now our CEO) would drive around Austin and deliver the tortillas.
Does your whole family work at the family business? Yes, all seven of us work at Siete, along with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and niece. My dad jokes that he always imagined us all working together (most probably in law, since he, my eldest sister, and my youngest brother all have degrees in law). I don’t think he ever imagined we’d be making tortillas!
Who comes up with most of the recipes? I lead our Culinary & Innovation team, where I work alongside five talented teammates to develop new products and recipes to share. Our hope is to create foods that are as inclusive as possible without sacrificing health or flavor.
*Turn the page for a delicious recipe from the Siete vault. (you can find more on their Instagram @sietefoods.