Mexican food and drink industry leaders merge to establish multi-million pound venture
Three eminent Mexican business leaders have joined forces to create an exciting, new, multi-million pound venture in the UK’s food industry.
Katya Torres de la Rocha, CEO of MexImport.co.uk and mexgrocer.co.uk, Francisco Yong Garcia, former CEO, EMEA of Gruma and Managing Director of Mission Foods Europe, and Eduardo Gomez Resendiz, founder and Director of Tequila and Mezcal Fest, are the co-founders and shareholders of MexImport Group.
Torres de la Rocha will assume the position of CEO at MexImport Group. She will manage the company on a day-to-day basis, overseeing business administration while working with existing clients and promoting franchises.
MexImport Group will manage, source and supply Mexican food and beverages and promote reputable brands to the retail food services and hospitality industries across the UK and mainland Europe. Outlets served by the company will include supermarkets, delicatessens, pubs, bars, restaurants, major fast food and coffee shop chains.
The announcement comes as the British public’s appetite for Mexican food and drink is soaring. At £168 million, spending in this sector in 2014 dwarfed that spent on curry - the traditional British favourite.
MexImport Group’s shareholders have strong links with the Mexican government and impressive business heritage, experience and credentials in the Mexican food and drink industry. They will strengthen these as they continue to buy direct from the country’s food and drink producers and create a transparent supply chain all the way to the consumer.
Torres de la Rocha has built excellent sales channels and customer relationships across Europe through her development of mexgrocer.co.uk and MexImport.co.uk
mexgrocer.co.uk sells over 500 products online and offers 100 products through its grocery store at Amazon.co.uk. The company will also be a supplier to SHOPS by mySupermarket, the new online marketplace of fresh and unique products available for home delivery. Torres de la Rocha is expanding the business with franchises across Europe. The first of these, mexgrocer.no in Norway, launched in January 2014. Its Swedish franchise mexgrocer.se, followed in April 2015. Most recently, the company launched its Portuguese franchise, mexgrocer.pt and opening soon will be mexgrocer.it in Italy.
mexgrocer.co.uk’s turnover hit £1 million last year. In April 2015, its sales were nearly 200 per cent higher than those for April 2014.
Torres de la Rocha is also the owner of Las Catrinas, the supplier of authentic Mexican cooking ingredients. Las Catrinas recently invested in machinery to label raw foods such as dried chillies, corn husks, etc.
MexImport.co.uk, the specialist importer and distributor of quality Mexican food and drink, serves delicatessens, farm shops and leading multiples in the UK and Europe. It has exclusive rights for 15 leading Mexican brands. MexImport.co.uk has supplied 43 of its products to the prestigious Selfridges foodhalls in London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Francisco Yong Garcia has held senior positions in the Mexican food industry since 1997.
Most recently, he was CEO, EMEA at Gruma, the world's leading branded tortilla and corn flour producer with 21,000 employees and sales of $5.1 billion pa. He oversaw acquisitions in Netherlands, Turkey and Spain with a combined turnover of $38 million. In just four years, Yong Garcia increased revenues at Gruma from $100 million to $300 million, transforming the company’s profitability.
As Managing Director, Europe at Mission Foods Europe, Yong Garcia increased revenues from $83 million $120 million between 2009 and 2011 and increased market share from 29 per cent to 43 per cent. He drove brand launches in Poland, Austria and Russia and completed acquisitions in Russia and Ukraine with combined turnovers of $30 million.
Eduardo Gomez Resendiz founded the Tequila and Mezcal Fest, the UK’s only festival for agave spirits. Through the event, he has introduced many fine tequilas and Mezcal to the UK for the first time.
Gomez Resendiz was Brand Manager at Grupo Modelo Europa between 2004 and 2011, where he helped establish Corona beer as the number two premium packaged lager in On Trade and the number one in managed pubs. He was an intergral part in growing the brand from 850,000 cases to 5,000,000.
He was previously Brand Sales Marketing Manager UK at Amathus drinks, promoting fine wines and premium spirits to hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs across the UK. Responsible for the developing the agencies plans for over 15 brands, he also imported five brands of Mezcal to the UK. Gomez Resendiz subsequently caused a dramatic increase in the popularity of Mezcal in the UK.
Gomez Resendiz has studied in both Mexico and England. Achieving a degree in International & Criminal Law at the Centro Universitario, he later earned a diploma and certificate in International Business Studies at William College in London. Gomez Resendiz went to gain a graduate diploma in Marketing Management at William College, before attending the European Business School, where he studied for a masters in International Business & Management.
Merging his business with MexImport Group and investing financially, Gomez Resendiz will act as a Sales and Marketing Director and manage accounts in the food industry and bar sector. He will continue to managing Tequila and Mezcal Fest.
Speaking of the launch of MexImport Group, Torres de la Rocha said: “This is an exciting moment for the Mexican food industry – especially as it coincides with the dual Year of the United Kingdom in Mexico and Year of Mexico in the United Kingdom. Between us, Francisco, Eduardo and I have many years of experience in working with people in Mexico who produce food and drink and people in the UK who consume it. Our coming together to establish MexImport Group is a natural progression for each of us.”
Yong Garcia said: “This new business – which is far greater than the sum of its parts – will support Mexican agriculture and by extension the Mexican economy. In the UK, we’ll be bringing lovers of our cuisine new gastronomic experiences through exciting brands, including a huge range of free-from products.”
Gomez Resendiz added: “This is a fantastic next step for the Tequila and Mezcal Fest and an exciting development for producers of Mexican produce, food, drink and brands. By merging our resources, our knowledge and our experience, Katya, Francisco and I can massively increase the reach of Mexican food across Europe – and beyond.”
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