Xuchil Natural Products
Mesquite flour and other foods from the Oaxacan countryside
Xuchil Natural Products is a startup specialized in the manufacture of flour and other natural food products directly obtained and derived from the Oaxacan countryside in southern Mexico. Its main products to date are derived from the Mezquite tree (Prosopis Laevigata), such as powders, flours, supplements, and baked goods. The company is made up of residents of the municipality of Santiago Suchilquitongo (35 km from the capital) and its surroundings, from 18 to 39 years old, who are part of the Suchilquitongo Community Development Association. Tejiendo Alianzas supports Xuchil Natural Products in the refinement of its production, commercialization and distribution.
Global demand for flours, products of high nutritional value ("superfoods"), and gluten-free flours has increased significantly among those with chronic diseases such as celiac disease, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, as well as among athletes and the segment "LOHAS" (Healthy and sustainable lifestyles). Xuchil Natural Products offers high-quality organic products at competitive prices in an expanding international market while ensuring a positive social impact.
This project benefits not only its members, but also the entire Suchilquitongo community, generating various direct and indirect sources of employment and great potential for diversification of derived products.
As a community business, Xuchil will donate a percentage of its profits to new projects launched in the community once it achieves sustainability. The economic and social impact of the project can transform a small municipality with little employment into a prosperous community that reinvests in itself.
Xuchil Natural Products currently sells its products to bakeries, restaurants, and shops in Mexico City and Oaxaca. They have participated in a series of state product fairs, which sell both mesquite flour and its derived products, muffins and cookies. Given the lack of familiarity with gluten-free flours in Mexico, the group has focused its promotion among health food stores, bakeries, and restaurants to quickly achieve market adoption by its target customers. While flour and cookie sales have increased in the past few years, a great deal of time and energy has been spent educating customers about the product itself, its nutritional properties, and uses. Comments from external advisers have indicated that the group should consider selling derivative products that already have proven market demand, such as energy bars.
With funds from two Mexican foundations and a federal government agency, Xuchil Products has modernized its factory, completed the nutritional analysis, and the first stage of brand consolidation.
RESULTS
Trademark developed and registered
Capacity building in: branding, strategic planning, sales, accounting, fundraising / pitching, recipe development
Creation of sales strategies, market research, product development, client list, strategic alliances.
Increased sales at 5 natural food stores and 3 restaurants in Oaxaca City, 3 bakeries in Mexico City, as well as increased online sales through Mercado Libre and Kichink.
Collaboration with engineers from the University of Texas at Austin and researchers at the CIIDIR Oaxaca National Polytechnic to improve infrastructure to make production more efficient, 2 phases of development of a drying system, established storage system, entrance improvements and construction of stairs.
Collaboration with MBA students from the University of Texas at Austin School of Business to design a "go-to-market" strategy to enter the US market.
Report on the local news channel TV Azteca.
A brief video we produced describing the work of Xuchil Products and the context in which the business operates.
An article highlighting the work and products of Xuchil Products, with a sample recipe: Owens, Sarah. “Harina de Mezquite: A Forgotten Ancestral Food.” Sowing Seeds Edición 3, Fall 2020, pp 56-59.
An article describing our work with Xuchil Products: Rigg, Susannah. "Mesquite: a protein-rich ancestral food that is making a comeback: A town in Oaxaca is turning the beans into a highly nutritious flour." Mexico News Daily, August, 2018.
Publication on the investigation of mesquite properties and proper drying, in collaboration with Xuchil Productos and Tejiendo Alianzas, directed by Dr. Sadoth Sandoval Torres, National Polytechnic Institute, CIIDIR Oaxaca Unit (CIIDIR OAXACA IPN).
