Alexa Fernandez has always been drawn to building communities and loves to use food to bring people together.
It is apt, then, that communities have driven the growth of Chili Maven, the Mexican food brand Fernandez founded in 2021. From the Mexican expats who advised her to the foodies who spread the word of the brand’s authentic taste, community has been at the heart of the Chili Maven story.
It is a story that began on the Mexico/US border, where Fernandez grew up. “My family is from northern Mexico, and the way I learned about my culture and heritage was through the food and cuisine of Mexico,” she says. “What always brings my family and friends together is food, and that’s what I try to bring to Chili Maven.”
Before launching her own food brand, Fernandez had a career in fintech, where she led partnerships between banks and startups. Moving to London about 20 years ago, she created the US Alumni Club, which brought together US university graduates through networking, educational, cultural and career events. “By far the best events I organised were ‘Around the World’ dinners, where we travelled the world through London’s restaurants,” she says.
Chili Maven was born from Fernandez’s obsession with salsa macha, a rich and flavourful Mexican chilli oil. It is hard to find outside Mexico and turned out to be impossible to locate in the UK. “I started making it at home and quickly realised there was an opportunity to bring this amazing condiment to the UK.”
Developing the first brand’s first product, Mild & Smoky Salsa Macha, took two years and 50 recipe iterations. “I tested and tweaked the recipe with family and friends and the London foodie community until I got it just right,” she says.
To manufacture the oil to her recipe, Fernandez found a small family-run business in Mexico with 30 years’ experience of making salsa macha. Then came the challenge of bringing the product to the UK. “Importing food from Mexico is complicated, but I was lucky to have the support of the Mexican community here, including two amazing female entrepreneurs who guided me through the process,” she says. “That sense of community, of women supporting each other, of Mexicans helping Mexicans, is key to the Chili Maven mission.”
The brand made its debut in December 2021 on a small table at a Mexican Christmas Market in London’s King's Cross. “People had no idea what salsa macha was, but I knew if I could get them to taste it, they’d fall in love. And they did. I sold out over the course of the three-day market.”
An early stockist was Fernandez’s local butcher, M Moen & Sons in Clapham Common, even though the owner wasn’t sure people would pay for a premium Mexican product. “But I knew they would,” says Fernandez. “If they’re spending money on a premium cut of meat at the butcher, they would want a good quality condiment to go alongside it.”
She set up a tasting table outside his shop window, and the brisk trade convinced him to stock the brand.
In those early days, Fernandez handled all deliveries herself, either by post or by dragging a wheelie cart across London. “There were a few leaky jars and broken shipments, but I figured it out as I went.”
Today, fulfilment is handled by specialist Mexican distributor MexGrocer, which has also helped take the brand into larger accounts such as online retailer Sous Chef. Chili Maven is also stocked in more than 70 delis and independent shops across the UK.
Fernandez remains the brand’s only full-time worker, though she has a team that helps her at markets. “I outsource what I can, such as accounting and order fulfilment, and lean on an incredible network of mentors and advisors,” she explains. “My next step is to invest in manufacturing and get the production in Mexico certified so that we can supply grocers.”
The Chili Maven range has recently been expanded with a traditional Mexican mole, which Fernandez describes as “kind of like a Mexican curry but much more complex”. It comes in powder form that is mixed with water or broth to create a sauce. She made a few tweaks to the family recipe to make it more suitable for the UK, such as sweetening it with dates and plantains, and using ground corn instead of wheat to thicken the sauce.
“Like with salsa macha, we don’t compromise on flavour or quality,” she says. “Our mole is made in Mexico City by a family who have been using the same family recipe for over 60 years, passed down from their great-grandmother.”
Markets, food festivals and online platforms have played a key role in growing Chili Maven: Fernandez conducted 50 tastings at festivals and markets in the brand's first two years.
Chili Maven also attended the Farm Shop & Deli Show that took place in April at NEC, BIrmingham as part of the UK Food & Drink Shows.
“This was great for meeting a broader range of delis and farm shops, and was the best way to get people to try out the product and get their feedback,” says Fernandez.
The show was also an opportunity to promote the brand’s success in the Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards: its Spicy & Nutty salsa macha bagged a gold.
Spicy & Nutty blends native Mexican serrano chillis with peanuts, garlic, onion and oil. It promises a “a rich, layered flavour with a warming heat that lingers without being overpowering”.
“It has become a favourite not just in Mexican restaurants, but in more unexpected places – on pizza, bao buns – and is a staple at taco stands at Mexican festivals,” says Fernandez. “There’s really nothing like it out there on the market.”
Winning the award last month was validation for all the hard work put in to educating people on what salsa macha is, convincing them it’s worth the price, she says, and breaking away from the usual Tex-Mex or Brit-Mex products that are currently on shelf.
“Real Mexican food is so much more. It is full of flavour and depth, and is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Having our Spicy & Nutty salsa macha win gold feels like all that effort is finally being recognised and appreciated.”
Looking ahead, Fernandez wants Chili Maven to become the go-to brand for authentic Mexican pantry staples in UK grocery stores.
“The Mexican aisle is growing, but it’s still dominated by a sea of yellow and red fajita and nacho kits. I want to change that and bring the true fire and flavour of Mexico to tables across the UK,” she says.
“But I want to do it by continuing to ensure our products are made in Mexico and contributing to the communities that create the recipes. I want them to grow alongside Chili Maven.”
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