Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Richard Montanez was born in Mexico and had grown up in a very poor family. As a young child, he had to pick grapes to help support his family so they would have something to eat, and while he tried to finish High School, he eventually dropped out due to his poor English.
With little going for him, and few options available, Richard ended up getting a job as a janitor at the Frito-Lay plant in southern California. He himself notes that he had low ambitions, “No disrespect to anyone, but my dream was to drive the trash truck”, and did not expect much of himself.
However, one day, the boss at the factory sent out an email to his employees, informing them that they should try to take ownership of their work and strive to do bigger things. Richard says this inspired him to try to be more entrepreneurial and creative.
A few weeks later, he got his chance. One day, the dusting machine broke down, causing the factory to produce many cheese-dust-free Cheetos. Richard decided to take some home and explore what he could put on them. He was inspired by “elote”, a common Mexican streetfood of corn covered in cheese, chili powder, and other spices. He figured that the same flavor combination might be good — so he made some samples, and all of his friends and family loved these new, spicy Cheetos.
With newfound confidence, Richard called up the President of the company and told him he had an idea for a new product. The President said he had two weeks to prepare a presentation, so Richard got busy.
The Presentation
Richard knew nothing about fancy presentations or business, but he knew he needed to learn. He went to the local library to borrow business books and ended up copying a marketing strategy from one of them. He also designed his own sample bags, but his Cheetos recipe inside them, and bought his first ever tie for the presentation (which his neighbor helped him tie).
The big day came, and the executives LOVED it. They brought him in to help design out and launch Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and the product took off.
Richard rode this wave of success upwards in the company, to the point where he is now an executive vice president at the company. He now runs almost all multicultural marketing and sales for North American regions, and was also the one who spearheaded many of Cheetos’ partnerships with companies like KFC and Taco Bell.
He also is extremely involved with community outreach for the Latino community — offering scholarships, food, clothing supplies, and more to countless charities. After growing up in such a rough environment and making it out, he wants to give back to his community.
So major props to Richard — a true homie who worked his ass off, and helped create one of the most delicious snacks eaten world round.
