Meet David Cisneros, CEO of Origo Brands, a Denver-based company that connects healthy, convenient, authentic Latinx products from the origin to people. Since we first met David in Sept. 2021, he has added a new line of coffee so we revisited our Q & A with him.
In Good Taste Denver: What does the name of the company mean, both literally and as a glimpse into the company philosophy?
David Cisneros: Origo is the Latin word for Origin. One key part of our company is supplying authentic products from the origin. We believe this is what consumers are interested in–authentic products and ingredients from real people and real origins.
IGTD: What are your products and where are they made?
DC: We now have three product lines. Last fall we launched Chantico Agave and Monstruo de Gila BBQ salsa. Earlier this year we launched Avenidas Coffee.
Chantico Agave is available in both syrups and powders that are grown and packaged in Jalisco and Guadalajara, Mexico. This is a low GI, prebiotic, naturally grown and processed.
Monstruo de Gila (Gila Monster) is a unique Latinx BBQ Salsa that is produced in Hudson, Colorado with Hatch Green Chiles from New Mexico. The BBQ salsa offers an authentic Southwestern sauce, designed as a BBQ salsa (sauce), for both traditional grilling or Southwestern grilling, e.g. carnitas, dips, marinades.
Avenidas Coffee is 100% Guatemalan grown from key coffee regions around the country. These coffees offer unique differences in flavor, which is impacted by the growing environment, the altitude, and the soil type.
IGTD: Why did you choose to do the particular products you did?
DC: Our company has been working with Mexican and other Latinx products for a number of years. We are particularly interested in focusing in on Latinx sauces and condiments. We spent many years fine tuning our products and are excited to start selling both the Chantico Agave and Gila BBQ Salsa products in the Denver market. Our plan is to grow the brands from a local level here in Denver and then grow organically into other regions with the goal of going national one day.
IGTD: You brand yourself as an upscale Latinx food company (in addition to being organic and sustainable). Why did you want to go that route?
DC: We feel there is a growing niche for healthy, premium Latinx products. Our consumers are interested in taste, authenticity, but also healthy, safe, premium products that fit within their lifestyles. Since we’re made of authentic ingredients, we want to be a part of the growing Latinx scene, and also recognize that these products appeal to many customers.
IGTD: Tell us more about Avenidas Coffee, Monstruo de Gila BBQ Salsa and Chantico Agave.
DC: In Spanish, the name “Avenidas” means roads or avenues—finding the path. We call our coffee Avenidas because it is the road that connects you to the beauty and freshness that Guatemala and Latin America has to offer.
The name Chantico comes from the Aztec goddess of home and hearth. Our symbol is the quetzal bird, revered in Mexico for centuries. Our organic agave grows only in Mexico where it is sustainably harvested and prepared in our net-waste reducing facility.
Chantico has a lighter and better flavor than other sweeteners, and because it’s about 1/3 sweeter than sugar, you can lower your calories per serving in baking, beverages and more. The agave is available in three offerings including:
- Raw Agave Sweetener: A low-glycemic sweetener with a caramel-like flavor.
- Wild Agave Sweetener: A low-glycemic sweetener with a light taste. natural
- Blue Agave Powder Sweetener: Our unique granulated blue agave has the same delicious benefits as Chantico Agave syrup. Also, it’s an organic low glycemic sweetener with natural prebiotic fiber.
Chantico agave can be used to replace syrup, honey or sugar in baking, as a breakfast topping, hot and cold beverages, cocktails, and more.
Monstruo De Gila is a game changer in the realm of Latinx food offerings for consumers, and it’s well positioned given its research into millennial purchasing power when it comes to brand preference and commitment to sustainability.
The first of its kind using ingredients from the southwest, Monstruo De Gila is a hatch green chile BBQ salsa, a product made in Colorado. Its recipe reflects the history and culture of the American Southwest – the many cultures that have thrived there and are celebrated today.
This New Mexico BBQ Salsa uses savory roasted Anaheim Green Chiles and tart Tomatillo. It adds a new dimension of flavor to whatever you are cooking-whether to spice up traditional BBQ, Mexican BBQ like carnitas, marinades or dips. We are soon introducing a second variety—using Chiltepin peppers (“Bird peppers”) and Chantico agave. Bird peppers come from Sonora, Mexico.
There are No GMO, No Gluten, No Corn Syrup, No Artificial Flavors or Colors in Monstruo De Gila.
The BBQ sauce is produced in Hudson, Colo. People use Monstruo De Gila in many ways including cooking traditional BBQ but with “spice” – better chicken, pork, fish, meat, vegetables; cooking with Latin foods, like Carnitas, tacos, and more; dip for chips, veggies and quesadillas; and as a cooking sauce/marinade for variety of recipes.
IGTD: Where you do source the majority of your ingredients?
DC: Chantico Agave’s core ingredient is agave, which is fully grown in Mexico. Gila BBQ Salsa’s call-out ingredient is Hatch green chiles, fully grown in New Mexico. Avenidas Coffee is directly from Guatemalan farms that grow the beans.
IGTD: You have a net-waste reducing facility – tell us more about that – where is it and why was that important to you?
DC: This is one of my favorite things to talk about. First, our facility is in Jalisco, Mexico (the home of Tequila). Everything there is state-of the art, and uses solar panels to obtain the electricity, and push some back into the grid. Also, the thermal energy created, and the water used by our process is reused again and again for heating and cooling throughout the facility. About 85% of our bottles are recycled material, and the agave bagasse is used for compost and fertilizer for agave and other local crops. Also, the agave plant has an increased demand – to that end we re-plant two Wild Agaves for every one we harvest and invest in the people to support a sustainable Mexican countryside. It is important to us, because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s a plan for strategic business growth.
The food production world is changing, and while I think that making products this way isn’t where it could be, consumers are demanding it more and more. So in many ways, we are ahead of the curve. Also, more and more, people want to know that the products they use are made in a responsible way, and we can tell them that, and make them feel good about using Chantico and Monsturo de Gila. Eventually, these investments in reducing waste and energy consumption become money-savers – and you become more competitive because you’ve already made the plan and the investment.
IGTD: If someone was to create an entire meal, or an entire day around your products, what would that look like?
DC: The opportunities are great anytime of the day. A cup of Avenidas Coffee with agave powder, waffles or pancakes with agave syrup, eggs rancheros with Gila BBQ salsa, coffee/tea or other drinks during the day with agave powder (very soluble!), BBQ chicken or carnitas for lunch—home or at work, for dinner, make a pizza with Gila as the sauce, or grilled vegetables. Drizzle the agave with ice cream or yogurt or churros for dessert!! The options are endless.
IGTD: Do you feel that the experience of the pandemic changed how you look at your business or the products or the intention of them?
DC: Yes, we pay a lot of attention to sustainability, through our Blue Dot Rising program—which focuses on social responsibility, packaging responsibility, carbon neutrality, origin, health and other attributes for all of our Origo products, under an audited system. The health of people, and the health of our planet, is an important part of what we believe, even more during this pandemic, when people are looking for healthier options.
IGTD: What types of Avenidas Coffee do you offer?
DC: The coffee comes in four varietals:
- ANTIGUA – This traditional coffee is cultivated in a volcanic soil, rich in minerals, with low humidity and varied temperatures. The coffee has an exquisite aroma and a sweet flavor.
- COBÁN – With an altitude of between 4,300 and 5,000 feet, Cobán is a cloudy, rainy, and cold place all year round. The coffee has fruity notes, with a fine body.
- HUEHUETENANGO – This region is non-volcanic but with a high altitude and a dry environment. With no frost, coffee here grows at up to 6,500 feet and takes on an intense flavor.
- CHILERO BLEND™ – Our unique blend of dark and light roasts from around the country, mixing coffee beans from different regions, this blend has a slight chocolate taste.
IGTD: Where can people purchase your products?
DC: Customers can purchase Chantico at their local grocery story including Lucky’s market, Lo-Hi Local and Argonaut’s or by ordering online at: https://www.chanticoagave.com/. It’s also available on Amazon.
Monstruo de Gila is available for purchase at Choice Market, Wheat Ridge Poultry and Meats and So Damn Gouda or by ordering online at: www.monstruo-de-gila.com.
All the coffee varieties are available in whole bean or ground, and in 6oz or 12oz packages. It can be found at Choice Market in Denver and Costplus World Market, with several Denver locations. The coffee starts at $7.99 a bag and customers can also purchase online at: https://www.avenidascafe.com/.
Foodservice or bulk options are also available, contact PJ Brazill, US Sales Manager for Origo Brands via email at: pjb@wesdenver.com to learn more.
Our products are also used as ingredients in restaurants around Denver. Kinga’s Lounge, Necio Mexican Kitchen, Nola Jane and Las Delicias to name a few.
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