November 19, 2025 • 30 mins
Lydia discusses how she came to be CEO of Hacienda, the trials and hardships through their growth, and Hacienda's devotion to their employees and the community.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Light Up the D.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'll focus on what's happening in our community from the
people who make it happen. Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit
Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Good morning and welcome to another episode of Light at
the D. I'm your host, Colleen Grant. Today's Light Up
the D is a CEOs You Should Know edition, and
in CEOs you Should Know, we spotlight the most innovative
leaders in our community who are paving the way in
their industry. Today, I'm joined by Lydia Gutierrez, President and
CEO of Acienda Mexican Foods, a multimillion dollar company she
(00:38):
co founded with her late husband in nineteen ninety. With
more than thirty five years of experience in the food industry,
she has grown the business from a two person operation
into a Southwest Detroit staple. This trail blazing Latina serves
on the board of the Southwest Detroit Business Association, where
she continues to champion small business, community growth and opportunities
(01:01):
for the neighborhood that raised her. She is a passionate
voice for entrepreneurship, culture, and resilience in Detroit. More information
is at Ascienda Degutierras dot com from Osciana Mexican Foods.
Please join me in welcoming Lydia. Gutierras. Welcome Lydia, which.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Has good sts Calleen. It's a pleasure and an honor
to be here. We're very excited about this relationship that
we're embarking on with iHeart. It's something that we could
have never imagined. We're so thankful that you've taken this
time to not only get to know us, but also
(01:38):
that you're here, that you're in the d and that
you're our neighbor actually, and so we're incredibly excited and
thankful for this new partnership.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Wow, how unexpected. Thank you so much for that. And
we're so grateful to be in the neighborhood too, And
we're so delighted to be able to hopefully share your
story with as many people as possible, because Wow, what
a rich, rich story of growth and opportunity and community
support it is. And I can't wait for everybody to
hear about it. So thank you for being here.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, let's talk. Let's talk about Asciena Mexican Foods. How
did it all begin? Where did you guys come from.
I mean, we've been around for a long time, and
it started as such a you know, a really community
based small company, and look at where you are today.
How did this happen?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Well, we didn't start as a company. It started actually
actually you're right, yeah, yeah. I just started as my
late husband and I in a back room. And he
is a third generation comes from a third third generation
for Tia family.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Third generation.
Speaker 5 (02:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
I love that rich family history. And so he knew
the industry. I was just his wife helping him out.
Never could have imagined that years later we would have a.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Multimillion dollar company.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
I got out a van and I was making deliveries
and he was helping me and teaching me how to
sell these products that he knew so much about. He
was really a guru in this industry and I was
just his wife just learning. And so that's kind of
where it all started. Sales and distribution. We did not
(03:23):
start in manufacturing. We started just telephone and making telephone
calls to bars and restaurants and little venues here and there.
And we started just with the tortillas, and then we
moved gradually into tortilla chips, having another offering on that
van and then we moved from that to selling dried
(03:47):
peppers and can goods and just really looking at what
the restaurants needs were and try and trying to.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Meet those needs at that time.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
And you could imagine thirty five years ago there were
you know, the industry isn't as visible as it is today,
and so there were some challenges, but you know, we
just kept going and I think perseverance, hard work, determination,
at the end of the day, it does pay off.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Well, I would, you know, think about it today, Like
you had said, the visibility that it's just such a
competitive marketplace today, what was it like thirty thirty five years.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Ago, Well, it was sparse, Okay, there wasn't There wasn't
a lot of restaurants that were you know, that had
these offerings. We almost had to go in and create
that niche. And so a lot different from today because
in today's environment, well, everybody's selling tortilla chips, everybody's selling
you know, products with tortillas or wraps or.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Things like that. But back then, it wasn't like that.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
We would drive up to Port Huron once or twice
a week to make deliveries to here on and we
were in Bay.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
City in Midland.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
We also sold into some of the prisons, and so
that's kind of like how we just you know, that's
kind of how we just got started.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Those are real boots on the streets kind of operation
in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Right from the beginning.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
So it was just me and my late husband, and
then we employed a friend of mine, who, by the way,
is still with us, Tina Quintindia, has been with us
this whole She's pretty much had this whole journey, taking
this whole journey with us.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
You know, we just I mean, we just worked.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Hard, continued to try just to grow a business. You know,
if you were asked me now what I was doing
back then, I mean I was just the wife of
the owner.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I was just helping him out, you know.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
And as we continued to establish more restaurants and more opportunities,
that's how we that's how we began to grow.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
And the whole time, you were, you know, just kind
of helping him out. As you say, you were learning
so much.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I was learning from the guru.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
And yeah, he knew everything that there was about tortillas,
about manufacturing, although we weren't manufacturing at the time. He
had worked in manufacturing plants, and he also consulted in
the industry, so he knew quite a bit and he
knew kind of where the bones were buried.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I love the way you put that. He got to
know where the bones were buried to avoid the bones.
Absolutely absolutely so as a Latino woman leading really a
substantial business in food manufacturing, which is not an easy
business to navigate with Again, like with all the competition
and so many other areas that you have to understand,
(06:46):
what has the journey been like for you?
Speaker 4 (06:48):
We've had so many ups and downs. There have been
so many and especially because we didn't come from like
you know, we didn't have the backing of a company
and need let's say, to help you know, fuel us.
It was just him and I and so how a
lot of mistakes, a lot of challenges, you know, along
(07:08):
the way, whether it was financial, just trying to understand
when to hire, who to hire, how to hire.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Those are such difficult parts of business to navigate. Is
it time to grow, Is it time to invest more?
Is it time to expand? Is it time to hire,
I mean people like in the early two thousands, Is
it time to get a website? Is it time to
have direct to consumer. Is it time? You know? All
the questions?
Speaker 4 (07:35):
And I think back then too, for myself, I think
it was really different because we didn't see many women entrepreneurs,
and being from the neighborhood I'm from Southwest Detroit, I.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Really didn't know many people, many women.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Who had their own companies or who had aspired. I
had a few mentors we have continued. Know that whole
journey was a lot different back then because the entrepreneurship
wasn't really especially for a woman, a Latina woman, it
wasn't available.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
We didn't see it, we didn't know it.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
I didn't know I didn't know anybody who was a
Latina woman who at that time had their own business.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So it was really challenging.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
So speak to me about some of your mentors. Who
were they, What did you learn for them? What kinds
of things did you glean from them over the years.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Well, I so Carmel Munos, she owned her own company,
and what I learned from her was just to be strong,
to have a strong voice, to be resilient, to always
put your best in front. And then Jane Garcia has
been a champion for Hassi and then for me personally
(08:56):
and continues to be She calls me all the.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Time to make sure I'm okay.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
But she's working at a very corporate high level, and
so she makes conversations and tries to put have partners,
you know, to help us to grow our company.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Do you have chances to mentor anybody these days?
Speaker 4 (09:15):
In our business, we have lots of women, and so
mentorship is something that we do every day with all
of our women, whether it's something that's personal or it's
something that they're trying to learn or to grow in
the capacity that we have them in. I think it's
really important to be kind, to be forgiving, and to
(09:39):
want the best in others, and so we do that
at Hascienda every single day.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
That kind of speaks a lot to your company culture.
You know, you love values that you express among your employees.
What kinds of things do you do you like to
make people feel within your business.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
I think the company culture is something that it's really
super important. And to me, I live by what I
call my seven f's, which are faith, family, my friends, food,
you have to have fun, freedom, and finance and putting
all that together that's kind of what helps me to
(10:22):
navigate in my business and to navigate even personally. And
I think it's really important when you're working in a
community like or in an urban environment, that you understand
the environment, that you understand the people that you're hiring,
(10:42):
that you have, you know, just a way of treating people.
And for me personally, I know where I come from,
and so I walk into my business calling every day
thankful and humbly, just being thankful and being in a
position of gratitude and wanting more and better for the
(11:03):
employees that work for our company. And so when you
talk about company culture, it's about family.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
It's about trust and.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Expecting the best from others, but at the same time
also expecting that they're going to help you to grow
your company, and that you want to provide excellent products,
good products, and so that happens. I think people are
oftentimes will tell me you or your products are so great. Why, Well,
when you take care of your people, your your results
are evident.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Talk about your products. You what do you love most
that you make?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Well, I think I love everything. There's that one product
I don't love. Our tortilla chips are especially something that
people always gravitate to, and we came out a few
years ago with a product that is a three one three,
and we we looked at this product. We were looking
(12:02):
at labels and trying to figure out, Okay, you know,
we need to come up with a new label, a
new product, and just three one three just resonated with
us because area code three when three being our area code,
being the Detroit area code, which which to me stands
for resilience.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
You know, we've we have faced so many.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Challenges in Detroit over the years, and I think that
our business has faced so many challenges, and so we
gravitated to that three one three knowing that there was
you know that that it was going to take a
lot of hard work, as it has in the city
of Detroit, for us to have revitalization, for us to
(12:46):
have a new day.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
And so anytime I see that three one.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
Three, it's it just makes my heart, you know, just
feel joyful because I know that it's grit, it's hard work,
but it's also love of it's also appreciation, and it's
also thankfulness.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Wow, all of those words just really embody that Detroit feeling.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Too, It really does.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, So what are some of the challenges you faced
in running and owning your business over time. Well, particularly
you guys hit COVID in the middle there too, So.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
We hit COVID. But way before that, you know, I
lost my husband. It's been twenty years now, this October
will be twenty years and so that was that was
a great challenge because as I mentioned earlier, I was
just the wife of the entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I wasn't the entrepreneur all of it.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
So I was kind of pulled into this business not
really understanding or not really feeling like it was my own.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
For a many many years, I was an.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Impostor in my own business because the mechanics of the
business just kept running. I didn't feel like I had
real ownership, and it took a long time, you know,
for me to get to that point.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Covid was something.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
That that really drove me in a lot of areas.
It drove me to be a better leader and to
understand that I had to have the reins of this company.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
And Covid also showed us.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
I mean I was actually making deliveries during COVID, So
I was on those trucks making deliveries.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Because I was doing.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
That, I ended up growing the distribution aspect of our business,
which was something that hadn't. I hadn't really touched on
you know, I was more in the office. I was
more running, you know, the sales and the distribution, but
I wasn't in I didn't make the deliveries. And so
(14:44):
when I made the deliveries, I learned what those delivery
drivers go through is something that you couldn't know unless
you get in that truck. And so being in the
back of those doors sometimes and trying to get in
before the doors closed, or dealing with people that weren't
being nice but not knowing who I was, and so
(15:05):
just kind of getting an understanding of that. And what
it did do is that it put me in a
position of understanding our drivers of appreciating them.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
A lot more. That was one thing.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
One of the things that happened to Usianda some time
ago also was that we were manufacturing tortilla chips in
a private label and an orange bag and it was
the Garden Fresh Tortilla Chip, and so that bag was
well known throughout, you know, throughout the state, and many
people didn't know that it was us that was putting
(15:40):
our tortilla chips in that bag. And I'm thankful for
Jack Aronson and his leadership, and we do miss him.
I mean, he was just such a strong leader. Helped
us and we grew our tortilla chip alongside of his
Salsa Wow, and we grew that business into he It
was because of him that we moved from the from
the small location that I was at to a thirty
(16:02):
three thousand square foot facility and we continue to grow
with him. But one of the challenges was when he
sold his company to a Campbel Frush. That business almost
overnight went away, and so that was another.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Time that we didn't know, you know, what we.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Were going to do in the face of all of
this downturn. I mean, you know, you go from a
multimillion dollar company to almost you know, almost nothing. And
that was because we we primarily put all of our
efforts into providing you know, that tortilla chip for for Jack.
(16:38):
And so it was right after that that, you know,
we just started opening our doors. And you know, if
you if you had a salsa and you needed four
or five cases, we you know, we would make we
would make tortilla chips.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
We just needed the machines to keep going.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
But there's something to say when when the bottom drops
like that and you have nowhere to go, and and
that's where I think that my faith came in. I mean,
I really on those seven f's, if you know, you
heard the first one was my faith. And you know,
having to make payments and pay drivers and pay people
(17:16):
in the office and just you know, your every day
it was very, very difficult during that time, but we
made it.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
How did you do it?
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Though?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
How did you get through that? When you I mean
that literally the bottom dropped out. That was your you know,
like that was who you were supplying to.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
It was my faith definitely. I mean it was my
faith that kept driving me. It was hope. And then
just opening our doors to anybody who came through the
door that needed a few cases, we provided them the
few cases and kept the machines going. We did open
our doors to continue to do some additional private label.
It was very difficult, it's time because we didn't have
(17:54):
our bags. We didn't have a three one three bag,
we didn't have a Hacienda bag, we didn't you know, Oh,
it was you know, the marketing aspect of it was
really difficult, and so we just we started putting labels
on bags and as we continued to see that that
kind of mushroom and to grow we were able to
buy you know, to develop our own labels and then
(18:18):
continue to make our own products and and grow that.
So we went from just doing the tortilla chips to
corn tortillas and flower tortillas under the three Win three brand,
and we've continued to grow that business every year.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
What do you think the smartest decision was that you
made that help your companies growth through all these ups
and downs.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
I think it's investing in the people, investing, investing in
my community.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
I think that that's something that's really important.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
That single thing, because when when when COVID hit, many
people and a lot of the businesses walked out or
they didn't have enough people, we had enough people. They
stayed with us and we were able to get through
some very very difficult times.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
That's a that's really great insight that you had already
invested in your people, so they stuck with you through well.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
And they trusted us, you know, because we you know,
we've been there with them for so long, and they
trusted us and knew that, you know, we were going
to do all the all the necessary things that you know,
we had to do in order to keep them safe
in order to make sure that we were creating great
products still for the consumer.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
So trust is a big factor for us.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
And because of our culture, you know, we you know,
our culture demands trust. And just the influence of family,
I think is really important.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
What other habits do you employ that you think make
you successful?
Speaker 4 (19:57):
Well, I wake up early every morning, and I think
that that's something that you know. I meditate, I pray
uh and that kind of aligns helps me to align
my day, to get my day in order.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
I exercise, which I think.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Is really important, and I think is really important that.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That we eat right, that we eat healthy.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
And so those are some of the things that I
do every day to ensure that I'm healthy, that I'm committed,
and that you know, my mind is working well so
that I could get into that office and be a
problem solver.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
And what kinds of things keep you motivated? What what
keeps you going?
Speaker 4 (20:38):
The people, the people that work at Hassianda and their
families that depend on us. I think that is one
of the things that keeps striving me to continue to
stay in business and to grow a business right right
in an urban setting, right in you know, the right
in right in the day across the street from the school,
(20:59):
down the street from another school where parents could send
their kids to school, and sometimes those kids are coming
back to Housi on that right after school. So we
really create an environment that is welcoming and that is
family oriented. But it's definitely the people. And let's never
forget we got great customers. We definitely have the best
(21:20):
customers and we're thankful for those customers that continue to
innovate and get us to to create new products that
work alongside of us and help us grow our company.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Let's talk about your products a little bit. Share with
us about the three one three Urban brand and the
place that holds in the Detroit Detroit's food ecosystem and
the partnerships with the local restaurants and grocery retailers.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Tell me all about that, Gabe, do you want to
talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
So we're also joined by Gabe Gutierras. Gabe tell us
about the three one three brand.
Speaker 6 (21:55):
Sure, you know, the three one three brand was something
that at the time, going back to I guess when
our family was doing chips for Garden Fresh, you know,
we were probably like ninety percent or more of the
business producing someone else's name in a market, so when
they left, you know, you have no awareness or you know, goodwill,
(22:17):
and so that was always something that was tough to build.
I mean, you know, even though you have the products, right,
I mean, you have to get your name out there
and into the right people. So getting into that strategy
we had, we started out first with the Hacienda brand
and then that kind of evolved into a three one
three brand as we were trying to figure out, you know,
(22:38):
what we were as a company, who we were, you know,
because who we were at the time was you know,
a private labeled company, and then we had to create
our own identity, and so we just looked at the
values and our experience and you know, at the end
of the day, I got to give it up all
to the boss over here, Lydia, because she just went
with her instinct.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
You know.
Speaker 6 (22:57):
There wasn't you know, a market research team or any
kind of analysis that was going on. It was just
you know, sitting around a table with a whiteboard and
trying to talk things out. So she said, that's it,
that's what we're doing, and I don't care about anything else.
And so we launched a brand off that and how
long ago was that gotta be you know, eight years
(23:18):
ago now, maybe maybe between eight and ten years ago.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
Can I don't know exactly the day, but.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
I do remember the meetings, So the whiteboard meetings. Yeah, Yeah,
there was a lot of scribbling, a lot of stuff
that we tried to stick on the wall and ended
up not sticking until finally you just have to trust
because there's i mean, it's really difficult to know for
certain when you're doing something like this whether it's going
to work or not, and then you start investing resources
(23:44):
and time and backing it up and it couldn't it
could not work out, but there was never a doubt
in Lydia's mind, in my mom's mind.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Well, that's a tough position to be in. I mean,
the Garden Fresh brand was a substantial brand, and you
were the product behind that brand, and once that kind
of went away, you had, like you really had to
be resourceful to figure out how to make that happen
for your own name. And that's quite a process. It's
something people struggle with every day all day across America
(24:13):
as first of all small business owners. Not to mention
you were a substantial business too at that time.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, you know, we never like I as the owner,
never could have abandgined. Would you know that, you know,
Garden Fresh wasn't going to be around and so and
again we never invested in ourselves. We invested in someone else.
And boy, those were some hard lessons learned, some very
hard lessons learned. But we're thankful. We're thankful because out
(24:40):
of the ashes, we've grown, you know, a great product,
and we now have control over our destiny, over where
we're going, and so that's very exciting. But I'm also
thankful for all of the things I learned alongside Jack
and alongside his family. There's just a great family. And
(25:02):
and like I said earlier, I did miss him.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Oh yeah, he's missed in the community.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
So you have distribution in a lot of places.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
We have distribution five states and locally and in Canada.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
So and what kind of stores.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
A lot of grocery stores, a lot of restaurants. But
during the summer months, we're in a lot of other
kind of venues. We're at picnics, and we're at parties,
and we're at the golf courses and just anywhere that
people could you know, gravitate to a Tortilla Chip.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Well, thankfully and hopefully we're there.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Why why has it been important to your company to
keep the manufacturing and operations in Detroit, specifically Southwest Detroit.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Why why has it been important? There's there's a lot
of reasons. The prime everyone though, is that it's just
where we've been. You know, this our neck of the
woods in southwest Detroit is a predominantly Latino community, and
you know, things change, and the demographics of the city
of Detroiter changing, it's its futures changing. But I like
(26:15):
to think that in the middle of all that, you know,
we can still kind of hold on to something that
that makes it ours.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
So our products are also.
Speaker 6 (26:25):
Kind of aligned with with the identity of the neighborhood, right,
so kind of keeping keeping our operation there when we've
had lots of opportunities to go into other places, you know,
many times to our own detriment. Sometimes I'm kicking myself,
you know, in the butt, talking to talking to my
mom about how, you know, there's really better opportunities. She
(26:47):
stays committed to where she's at, and the people that
work for us, who I mean, I think something like
ninety percent or maybe a little bit higher than that
live within like a two mile radius. Oh wow, So
we're really pulling you know, local, local people into the jobs.
And you know, it's another thing because you get into
(27:09):
lots of different layers of why that's important, but primarily,
you know, many people that we hire don't already come
equipped with the skills. So it takes a lot of
investment into the into the person, and you know, that's
a that's an added cost that you know, I think
a lot of other businesses might not necessarily have to
(27:30):
have to take on, but it's one that we do
and it's expensive.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Well speak to you're on the board of the Southwest
Michigan Business Association, and how does your relationship with the
community and the business how do you how are you
able to help the businesses in the local area with
your experience.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
I think it's important that we, especially with new businesses
that are coming in, that we align ourselves and that
we mentor that that we help them to understand, you know,
where to go for whatever their needs are, whether it's
financial or maybe it's maybe it's another service that maybe
(28:14):
someone else in the community has that they could offer.
And so we try as much as we can to
mentor to align ourselves to partner to ensure that those
businesses that are coming to our community are going to
be successful, and that at the end of the day is.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Important to all of us.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Share again with everybody where they can find ociend products
and any upcoming events or news that's coming up for
you guys.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Well, we're pretty much in one hundred and one Kroger
stores were.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Many of the other supermarkets.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
We're pretty much all in the neighborhood where many restaurants
do many many restaurants throughout Michigan and then beyond and Gabe.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
So you could also search for our products online at
our website at Hacienda de Gutierres dot com or if
you look at has on the Mexican Foods in Google
or something, it should pop up. But on there we
have all of our products that we sell to to
the retails market and you can get them shipped to
I think something like forty eight states or something around
that area. So if you want the chili lime or
(29:26):
the salt, or the three one three or the authentic,
it's all up there.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
So thank you for your support, appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
What's your favorite thing about what you do Lydia.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
I think my favorite thing about what I do is
just coming into work every day helping others, being being
an advocate for our community, and being an advocate for
the people that work for us.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I think that that's so important.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
And just being responsible and just I love the children
that come in and visit us and that are part
of our face.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Emily Paid.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Our guest today has been the lovely Lydia Gutierrez, President
and CEO CEO of Hacienda Mexican Foods LLC. Thank you
for joining us today, Lydia.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
This has been light Up the D a community affairs
program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like to
get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia dot com.
Here are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
Welcome to Light Up the D.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'll focus on what's happening in our community from the
people who make it happen. Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit
Market President Colleen Grant.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Good morning and welcome to another episode of Light at
the D. I'm your host, Colleen Grant. Today's Light Up
the D is a CEOs You Should Know edition, and
in CEOs you Should Know, we spotlight the most innovative
leaders in our community who are paving the way in
their industry. Today, I'm joined by Lydia Gutierrez, President and
CEO of Acienda Mexican Foods, a multimillion dollar company she
(00:38):
co founded with her late husband in nineteen ninety. With
more than thirty five years of experience in the food industry,
she has grown the business from a two person operation
into a Southwest Detroit staple. This trail blazing Latina serves
on the board of the Southwest Detroit Business Association, where
she continues to champion small business, community growth and opportunities
(01:01):
for the neighborhood that raised her. She is a passionate
voice for entrepreneurship, culture, and resilience in Detroit. More information
is at Ascienda Degutierras dot com from Osciana Mexican Foods.
Please join me in welcoming Lydia. Gutierras. Welcome Lydia, which.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
Has good sts Calleen. It's a pleasure and an honor
to be here. We're very excited about this relationship that
we're embarking on with iHeart. It's something that we could
have never imagined. We're so thankful that you've taken this
time to not only get to know us, but also
(01:38):
that you're here, that you're in the d and that
you're our neighbor actually, and so we're incredibly excited and
thankful for this new partnership.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Wow, how unexpected. Thank you so much for that. And
we're so grateful to be in the neighborhood too, And
we're so delighted to be able to hopefully share your
story with as many people as possible, because Wow, what
a rich, rich story of growth and opportunity and community
support it is. And I can't wait for everybody to
hear about it. So thank you for being here.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, let's talk. Let's talk about Asciena Mexican Foods. How
did it all begin? Where did you guys come from.
I mean, we've been around for a long time, and
it started as such a you know, a really community
based small company, and look at where you are today.
How did this happen?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Well, we didn't start as a company. It started actually
actually you're right, yeah, yeah. I just started as my
late husband and I in a back room. And he
is a third generation comes from a third third generation
for Tia family.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Third generation.
Speaker 5 (02:40):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
I love that rich family history. And so he knew
the industry. I was just his wife helping him out.
Never could have imagined that years later we would have a.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Multimillion dollar company.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
I got out a van and I was making deliveries
and he was helping me and teaching me how to
sell these products that he knew so much about. He
was really a guru in this industry and I was
just his wife just learning. And so that's kind of
where it all started. Sales and distribution. We did not
(03:23):
start in manufacturing. We started just telephone and making telephone
calls to bars and restaurants and little venues here and there.
And we started just with the tortillas, and then we
moved gradually into tortilla chips, having another offering on that
van and then we moved from that to selling dried
(03:47):
peppers and can goods and just really looking at what
the restaurants needs were and try and trying to.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Meet those needs at that time.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
And you could imagine thirty five years ago there were
you know, the industry isn't as visible as it is today,
and so there were some challenges, but you know, we
just kept going and I think perseverance, hard work, determination,
at the end of the day, it does pay off.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Well, I would, you know, think about it today, Like
you had said, the visibility that it's just such a
competitive marketplace today, what was it like thirty thirty five years.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Ago, Well, it was sparse, Okay, there wasn't There wasn't
a lot of restaurants that were you know, that had
these offerings. We almost had to go in and create
that niche. And so a lot different from today because
in today's environment, well, everybody's selling tortilla chips, everybody's selling
you know, products with tortillas or wraps or.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Things like that. But back then, it wasn't like that.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
We would drive up to Port Huron once or twice
a week to make deliveries to here on and we
were in Bay.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
City in Midland.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
We also sold into some of the prisons, and so
that's kind of like how we just you know, that's
kind of how we just got started.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Those are real boots on the streets kind of operation
in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Right from the beginning.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
So it was just me and my late husband, and
then we employed a friend of mine, who, by the way,
is still with us, Tina Quintindia, has been with us
this whole She's pretty much had this whole journey, taking
this whole journey with us.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
You know, we just I mean, we just worked.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Hard, continued to try just to grow a business. You know,
if you were asked me now what I was doing
back then, I mean I was just the wife of
the owner.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I was just helping him out, you know.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
And as we continued to establish more restaurants and more opportunities,
that's how we that's how we began to grow.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
And the whole time, you were, you know, just kind
of helping him out. As you say, you were learning
so much.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I was learning from the guru.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
And yeah, he knew everything that there was about tortillas,
about manufacturing, although we weren't manufacturing at the time. He
had worked in manufacturing plants, and he also consulted in
the industry, so he knew quite a bit and he
knew kind of where the bones were buried.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I love the way you put that. He got to
know where the bones were buried to avoid the bones.
Absolutely absolutely so as a Latino woman leading really a
substantial business in food manufacturing, which is not an easy
business to navigate with Again, like with all the competition
and so many other areas that you have to understand,
(06:46):
what has the journey been like for you?
Speaker 4 (06:48):
We've had so many ups and downs. There have been
so many and especially because we didn't come from like
you know, we didn't have the backing of a company
and need let's say, to help you know, fuel us.
It was just him and I and so how a
lot of mistakes, a lot of challenges, you know, along
(07:08):
the way, whether it was financial, just trying to understand
when to hire, who to hire, how to hire.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Those are such difficult parts of business to navigate. Is
it time to grow, Is it time to invest more?
Is it time to expand? Is it time to hire,
I mean people like in the early two thousands, Is
it time to get a website? Is it time to
have direct to consumer. Is it time? You know? All
the questions?
Speaker 4 (07:35):
And I think back then too, for myself, I think
it was really different because we didn't see many women entrepreneurs,
and being from the neighborhood I'm from Southwest Detroit, I.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Really didn't know many people, many women.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Who had their own companies or who had aspired. I
had a few mentors we have continued. Know that whole
journey was a lot different back then because the entrepreneurship
wasn't really especially for a woman, a Latina woman, it
wasn't available.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
We didn't see it, we didn't know it.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
I didn't know I didn't know anybody who was a
Latina woman who at that time had their own business.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So it was really challenging.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
So speak to me about some of your mentors. Who
were they, What did you learn for them? What kinds
of things did you glean from them over the years.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Well, I so Carmel Munos, she owned her own company,
and what I learned from her was just to be strong,
to have a strong voice, to be resilient, to always
put your best in front. And then Jane Garcia has
been a champion for Hassi and then for me personally
(08:56):
and continues to be She calls me all the.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Time to make sure I'm okay.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
But she's working at a very corporate high level, and
so she makes conversations and tries to put have partners,
you know, to help us to grow our company.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Do you have chances to mentor anybody these days?
Speaker 4 (09:15):
In our business, we have lots of women, and so
mentorship is something that we do every day with all
of our women, whether it's something that's personal or it's
something that they're trying to learn or to grow in
the capacity that we have them in. I think it's
really important to be kind, to be forgiving, and to
(09:39):
want the best in others, and so we do that
at Hascienda every single day.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
That kind of speaks a lot to your company culture.
You know, you love values that you express among your employees.
What kinds of things do you do you like to
make people feel within your business.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
I think the company culture is something that it's really
super important. And to me, I live by what I
call my seven f's, which are faith, family, my friends, food,
you have to have fun, freedom, and finance and putting
all that together that's kind of what helps me to
(10:22):
navigate in my business and to navigate even personally. And
I think it's really important when you're working in a
community like or in an urban environment, that you understand
the environment, that you understand the people that you're hiring,
(10:42):
that you have, you know, just a way of treating people.
And for me personally, I know where I come from,
and so I walk into my business calling every day
thankful and humbly, just being thankful and being in a
position of gratitude and wanting more and better for the
(11:03):
employees that work for our company. And so when you
talk about company culture, it's about family.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
It's about trust and.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Expecting the best from others, but at the same time
also expecting that they're going to help you to grow
your company, and that you want to provide excellent products,
good products, and so that happens. I think people are
oftentimes will tell me you or your products are so great. Why, Well,
when you take care of your people, your your results
are evident.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Talk about your products. You what do you love most
that you make?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Well, I think I love everything. There's that one product
I don't love. Our tortilla chips are especially something that
people always gravitate to, and we came out a few
years ago with a product that is a three one three,
and we we looked at this product. We were looking
(12:02):
at labels and trying to figure out, Okay, you know,
we need to come up with a new label, a
new product, and just three one three just resonated with
us because area code three when three being our area code,
being the Detroit area code, which which to me stands
for resilience.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
You know, we've we have faced so many.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Challenges in Detroit over the years, and I think that
our business has faced so many challenges, and so we
gravitated to that three one three knowing that there was
you know that that it was going to take a
lot of hard work, as it has in the city
of Detroit, for us to have revitalization, for us to
(12:46):
have a new day.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
And so anytime I see that three one.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
Three, it's it just makes my heart, you know, just
feel joyful because I know that it's grit, it's hard work,
but it's also love of it's also appreciation, and it's
also thankfulness.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
Wow, all of those words just really embody that Detroit feeling.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Too, It really does.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, So what are some of the challenges you faced
in running and owning your business over time. Well, particularly
you guys hit COVID in the middle there too, So.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
We hit COVID. But way before that, you know, I
lost my husband. It's been twenty years now, this October
will be twenty years and so that was that was
a great challenge because as I mentioned earlier, I was
just the wife of the entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I wasn't the entrepreneur all of it.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
So I was kind of pulled into this business not
really understanding or not really feeling like it was my own.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
For a many many years, I was an.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Impostor in my own business because the mechanics of the
business just kept running. I didn't feel like I had
real ownership, and it took a long time, you know,
for me to get to that point.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Covid was something.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
That that really drove me in a lot of areas.
It drove me to be a better leader and to
understand that I had to have the reins of this company.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
And Covid also showed us.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
I mean I was actually making deliveries during COVID, So
I was on those trucks making deliveries.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Because I was doing.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
That, I ended up growing the distribution aspect of our business,
which was something that hadn't. I hadn't really touched on
you know, I was more in the office. I was
more running, you know, the sales and the distribution, but
I wasn't in I didn't make the deliveries. And so
(14:44):
when I made the deliveries, I learned what those delivery
drivers go through is something that you couldn't know unless
you get in that truck. And so being in the
back of those doors sometimes and trying to get in
before the doors closed, or dealing with people that weren't
being nice but not knowing who I was, and so
(15:05):
just kind of getting an understanding of that. And what
it did do is that it put me in a
position of understanding our drivers of appreciating them.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
A lot more. That was one thing.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
One of the things that happened to Usianda some time
ago also was that we were manufacturing tortilla chips in
a private label and an orange bag and it was
the Garden Fresh Tortilla Chip, and so that bag was
well known throughout, you know, throughout the state, and many
people didn't know that it was us that was putting
(15:40):
our tortilla chips in that bag. And I'm thankful for
Jack Aronson and his leadership, and we do miss him.
I mean, he was just such a strong leader. Helped
us and we grew our tortilla chip alongside of his
Salsa Wow, and we grew that business into he It
was because of him that we moved from the from
the small location that I was at to a thirty
(16:02):
three thousand square foot facility and we continue to grow
with him. But one of the challenges was when he
sold his company to a Campbel Frush. That business almost
overnight went away, and so that was another.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Time that we didn't know, you know, what we.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Were going to do in the face of all of
this downturn. I mean, you know, you go from a
multimillion dollar company to almost you know, almost nothing. And
that was because we we primarily put all of our
efforts into providing you know, that tortilla chip for for Jack.
(16:38):
And so it was right after that that, you know,
we just started opening our doors. And you know, if
you if you had a salsa and you needed four
or five cases, we you know, we would make we
would make tortilla chips.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
We just needed the machines to keep going.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
But there's something to say when when the bottom drops
like that and you have nowhere to go, and and
that's where I think that my faith came in. I mean,
I really on those seven f's, if you know, you
heard the first one was my faith. And you know,
having to make payments and pay drivers and pay people
(17:16):
in the office and just you know, your every day
it was very, very difficult during that time, but we
made it.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
How did you do it?
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Though?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
How did you get through that? When you I mean
that literally the bottom dropped out. That was your you know,
like that was who you were supplying to.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
It was my faith definitely. I mean it was my
faith that kept driving me. It was hope. And then
just opening our doors to anybody who came through the
door that needed a few cases, we provided them the
few cases and kept the machines going. We did open
our doors to continue to do some additional private label.
It was very difficult, it's time because we didn't have
(17:54):
our bags. We didn't have a three one three bag,
we didn't have a Hacienda bag, we didn't you know, Oh,
it was you know, the marketing aspect of it was
really difficult, and so we just we started putting labels
on bags and as we continued to see that that
kind of mushroom and to grow we were able to
buy you know, to develop our own labels and then
(18:18):
continue to make our own products and and grow that.
So we went from just doing the tortilla chips to
corn tortillas and flower tortillas under the three Win three brand,
and we've continued to grow that business every year.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
What do you think the smartest decision was that you
made that help your companies growth through all these ups
and downs.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
I think it's investing in the people, investing, investing in
my community.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
I think that that's something that's really important.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
That single thing, because when when when COVID hit, many
people and a lot of the businesses walked out or
they didn't have enough people, we had enough people. They
stayed with us and we were able to get through
some very very difficult times.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
That's a that's really great insight that you had already
invested in your people, so they stuck with you through well.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
And they trusted us, you know, because we you know,
we've been there with them for so long, and they
trusted us and knew that, you know, we were going
to do all the all the necessary things that you know,
we had to do in order to keep them safe
in order to make sure that we were creating great
products still for the consumer.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
So trust is a big factor for us.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
And because of our culture, you know, we you know,
our culture demands trust. And just the influence of family,
I think is really important.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
What other habits do you employ that you think make
you successful?
Speaker 4 (19:57):
Well, I wake up early every morning, and I think
that that's something that you know. I meditate, I pray
uh and that kind of aligns helps me to align
my day, to get my day in order.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
I exercise, which I think.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Is really important, and I think is really important that.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That we eat right, that we eat healthy.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
And so those are some of the things that I
do every day to ensure that I'm healthy, that I'm committed,
and that you know, my mind is working well so
that I could get into that office and be a
problem solver.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
And what kinds of things keep you motivated? What what
keeps you going?
Speaker 4 (20:38):
The people, the people that work at Hassianda and their
families that depend on us. I think that is one
of the things that keeps striving me to continue to
stay in business and to grow a business right right
in an urban setting, right in you know, the right
in right in the day across the street from the school,
(20:59):
down the street from another school where parents could send
their kids to school, and sometimes those kids are coming
back to Housi on that right after school. So we
really create an environment that is welcoming and that is
family oriented. But it's definitely the people. And let's never
forget we got great customers. We definitely have the best
(21:20):
customers and we're thankful for those customers that continue to
innovate and get us to to create new products that
work alongside of us and help us grow our company.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Let's talk about your products a little bit. Share with
us about the three one three Urban brand and the
place that holds in the Detroit Detroit's food ecosystem and
the partnerships with the local restaurants and grocery retailers.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Tell me all about that, Gabe, do you want to
talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
So we're also joined by Gabe Gutierras. Gabe tell us
about the three one three brand.
Speaker 6 (21:55):
Sure, you know, the three one three brand was something
that at the time, going back to I guess when
our family was doing chips for Garden Fresh, you know,
we were probably like ninety percent or more of the
business producing someone else's name in a market, so when
they left, you know, you have no awareness or you know, goodwill,
(22:17):
and so that was always something that was tough to build.
I mean, you know, even though you have the products, right,
I mean, you have to get your name out there
and into the right people. So getting into that strategy
we had, we started out first with the Hacienda brand
and then that kind of evolved into a three one
three brand as we were trying to figure out, you know,
(22:38):
what we were as a company, who we were, you know,
because who we were at the time was you know,
a private labeled company, and then we had to create
our own identity, and so we just looked at the
values and our experience and you know, at the end
of the day, I got to give it up all
to the boss over here, Lydia, because she just went
with her instinct.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
You know.
Speaker 6 (22:57):
There wasn't you know, a market research team or any
kind of analysis that was going on. It was just
you know, sitting around a table with a whiteboard and
trying to talk things out. So she said, that's it,
that's what we're doing, and I don't care about anything else.
And so we launched a brand off that and how
long ago was that gotta be you know, eight years
(23:18):
ago now, maybe maybe between eight and ten years ago.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
Can I don't know exactly the day, but.
Speaker 6 (23:23):
I do remember the meetings, So the whiteboard meetings. Yeah, Yeah,
there was a lot of scribbling, a lot of stuff
that we tried to stick on the wall and ended
up not sticking until finally you just have to trust
because there's i mean, it's really difficult to know for
certain when you're doing something like this whether it's going
to work or not, and then you start investing resources
(23:44):
and time and backing it up and it couldn't it
could not work out, but there was never a doubt
in Lydia's mind, in my mom's mind.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Well, that's a tough position to be in. I mean,
the Garden Fresh brand was a substantial brand, and you
were the product behind that brand, and once that kind
of went away, you had, like you really had to
be resourceful to figure out how to make that happen
for your own name. And that's quite a process. It's
something people struggle with every day all day across America
(24:13):
as first of all small business owners. Not to mention
you were a substantial business too at that time.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
Yeah, you know, we never like I as the owner,
never could have abandgined. Would you know that, you know,
Garden Fresh wasn't going to be around and so and
again we never invested in ourselves. We invested in someone else.
And boy, those were some hard lessons learned, some very
hard lessons learned. But we're thankful. We're thankful because out
(24:40):
of the ashes, we've grown, you know, a great product,
and we now have control over our destiny, over where
we're going, and so that's very exciting. But I'm also
thankful for all of the things I learned alongside Jack
and alongside his family. There's just a great family. And
(25:02):
and like I said earlier, I did miss him.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Oh yeah, he's missed in the community.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
So you have distribution in a lot of places.
Speaker 4 (25:10):
We have distribution five states and locally and in Canada.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
So and what kind of stores.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
A lot of grocery stores, a lot of restaurants. But
during the summer months, we're in a lot of other
kind of venues. We're at picnics, and we're at parties,
and we're at the golf courses and just anywhere that
people could you know, gravitate to a Tortilla Chip.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Well, thankfully and hopefully we're there.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Why why has it been important to your company to
keep the manufacturing and operations in Detroit, specifically Southwest Detroit.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Why why has it been important? There's there's a lot
of reasons. The prime everyone though, is that it's just
where we've been. You know, this our neck of the
woods in southwest Detroit is a predominantly Latino community, and
you know, things change, and the demographics of the city
of Detroiter changing, it's its futures changing. But I like
(26:15):
to think that in the middle of all that, you know,
we can still kind of hold on to something that
that makes it ours.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
So our products are also.
Speaker 6 (26:25):
Kind of aligned with with the identity of the neighborhood, right,
so kind of keeping keeping our operation there when we've
had lots of opportunities to go into other places, you know,
many times to our own detriment. Sometimes I'm kicking myself,
you know, in the butt, talking to talking to my
mom about how, you know, there's really better opportunities. She
(26:47):
stays committed to where she's at, and the people that
work for us, who I mean, I think something like
ninety percent or maybe a little bit higher than that
live within like a two mile radius. Oh wow, So
we're really pulling you know, local, local people into the jobs.
And you know, it's another thing because you get into
(27:09):
lots of different layers of why that's important, but primarily,
you know, many people that we hire don't already come
equipped with the skills. So it takes a lot of
investment into the into the person, and you know, that's
a that's an added cost that you know, I think
a lot of other businesses might not necessarily have to
(27:30):
have to take on, but it's one that we do
and it's expensive.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Well speak to you're on the board of the Southwest
Michigan Business Association, and how does your relationship with the
community and the business how do you how are you
able to help the businesses in the local area with
your experience.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
I think it's important that we, especially with new businesses
that are coming in, that we align ourselves and that
we mentor that that we help them to understand, you know,
where to go for whatever their needs are, whether it's
financial or maybe it's maybe it's another service that maybe
(28:14):
someone else in the community has that they could offer.
And so we try as much as we can to
mentor to align ourselves to partner to ensure that those
businesses that are coming to our community are going to
be successful, and that at the end of the day is.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Important to all of us.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Share again with everybody where they can find ociend products
and any upcoming events or news that's coming up for
you guys.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Well, we're pretty much in one hundred and one Kroger
stores were.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Many of the other supermarkets.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
We're pretty much all in the neighborhood where many restaurants
do many many restaurants throughout Michigan and then beyond and Gabe.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
So you could also search for our products online at
our website at Hacienda de Gutierres dot com or if
you look at has on the Mexican Foods in Google
or something, it should pop up. But on there we
have all of our products that we sell to to
the retails market and you can get them shipped to
I think something like forty eight states or something around
that area. So if you want the chili lime or
(29:26):
the salt, or the three one three or the authentic,
it's all up there.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
So thank you for your support, appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
What's your favorite thing about what you do Lydia.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
I think my favorite thing about what I do is
just coming into work every day helping others, being being
an advocate for our community, and being an advocate for
the people that work for us.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I think that that's so important.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
And just being responsible and just I love the children
that come in and visit us and that are part
of our face.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Emily Paid.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Our guest today has been the lovely Lydia Gutierrez, President
and CEO CEO of Hacienda Mexican Foods LLC. Thank you
for joining us today, Lydia.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
This has been light Up the D a community affairs
program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like to
get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia dot com.
Here are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
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