We interviewed Tony Alcazar, CEO of Mr. Tortilla, one of the fastest growing Tortilla brands in the U.S, We talked about the challenges that he faced when starting his own business, his experience with financial institutions and the future of his company.

How did you get into the food industry?

I had been working in the food industry for about 30 years. I started with snacks and frozen burritos, then moved on to a tortilla factory. My children pushed me to work on my own business about 5 years ago, they made me realize that I was giving away my time and knowledge for a little bit of money so I took their advice and here we are now.

Earlier on we didn’t have our own equipment and had to outsource production but as soon as the U.S. Army became our client and ordered 1000 boxes, the company we outsourced to, refused to make our orders because our product was bringing in more business than their own so we had to move on to our own production line.

What are the biggest challenges you face as an entrepreneur?

All the planning and getting the equipment we needed. Even though we were already established as a business, production wasn’t with us and it took us almost 2 years to open up our own location and that’s when we actually grew.

Thank God my children were there to support me.

What Makes you different from the other tortilla makers out there?

Our tortillas are much better tasting, the flavor and texture of our tortillas is just like they are freshly made, even if you freeze them for a year, your wrap will taste freshly made.

We don’t add a lot preservatives so even our whole wheat tortillas taste good and don’t have that cardboard feel that most companies have, we make a great, tasty product that is good for your body and kids will enjoy.

What made you consider financing equipment?

Because it was a no-brainer! In this industry you need to have your own equipment, otherwise you lose money, plus! the equipment pays for itself! You have to look at your options and honestly I wasn’t going to pay cash even though our business was doing great, the equipment is pretty expensive, you know?

 

—”I want to be the Coca-Cola of  Tortillas”

 

We see entrepreneurs turned down by their local banks all too often, what was your experience?

Local banks gave us little to no options at all, it was hard. May son got us an SBA loan and that was pretty much all that was available. Thank God for companies like Cardiff Bank that like to work with businesses like us, I’m blessed because right now every business need I have is covered and honestly there’s not a lot of support out there , I don’t know why, it feels like big banks want to see us fail.

You worked with Gil and Ari to get this done, how was your experience on working with them?

Ari and Gil are very professional, I’ve worked with them more than once, they covered our needs plus gave us great advice on how to manage and improve our business credit and cash flow, we knew we weren’t just a number, like when you go into a bank and you see that lady with the long face just waiting for her shift to end, they actually gave me the warm service that I need, Gil is one of those super smart, hard working guys that stays with you until the end of the process to make sure everything went smoothly, that’s why I loved working with Cardiff.

How do you take your business to the next level…what’s your vision?

We’re working on a marketing plan, we want to expand and we already hired a sales rep, she’s really good at what she does. Right now we’re only working with food service business like cruise ships but we want to expand to retail and be an international brand. I want to be the Coca-Cola of tortillas, I want my product to appear in an Oscar-winning movie, that is what I want my product and I’m sure that owe will get there as a brand, I’m sure about it.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself? (and all inspiring entrepreneurs out there)

I would tell myself to be more patient, sometimes I get out of hand when making long-term decisions, I want it done right then and there and that can lead to things not going as planned, that’s my problem, I can be really good at thinking on my feet and making things work, but I also know that patience is a virtue, I was patient for almost 30 years and now my business is growing. Good things come to those who wait.