In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Grace Kennedy sits down with Cynthia Duran, founder of Xinca Foods, one of the first Salvadoran frozen food brands in the U.S. market. Cynthia shares her inspiring journey from a career in tech at companies like Microsoft and T-Mobile to launching Xinca Foods—a brand rooted in heritage and dedicated to making high-quality frozen pupusas accessible across the country.

They dive into the realities of bootstrapping a CPG business, the importance of self-manufacturing to preserve authenticity, and the strategic decision to pause growth in order to focus on consumer awareness. Cynthia also opens up about the challenges of entering new markets, learning from on-the-ground demos, navigating distribution, and adapting packaging and pricing to meet regional demand.

Whether you're a founder, food entrepreneur, or simply curious about the behind-the-scenes of scaling a culturally rich food brand, this episode offers a candid look at the grit, strategy, and community that power Xinca Foods.

Listen in as they share about:

• Founding Story of Xinka Foods
• Bootstrapping and Self-Manufacturing
• Direct-to-Consumer to Retail Transition
• Retail and Distribution Strategy
• Packaging and Marketing Lessons
• Day-to-Day Operations
• Customer Feedback and Eating Creativity
• Startup CPG Community and Resources

Episode Links:

Website: https://xincafoods.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-duran-693410b9/ 

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

• Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
• Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
• Follow @startupcpg
• Visit host Grace's Linkedin 
• Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected]
• Episode music by Super Fantastics