2 days ago

#102 - Joseph Cassinelli @ El Nacho - Tortilla Chips Reimagined Through Lucha Libre & Regenerative Ag

On this episode, we’re joined by Joseph Cassinelli, who is the Founder and President of El Nacho.

El Nacho is supporting regenerative agriculture with their line of tortilla chips made with certified regenerative corn.

In this episode, Joe shares how El Nacho was born during the pandemic and how it turned him from a seasoned restaurateur to a new CPG Founder. He details the importance of their clean ingredients, ancient processing techniques, and intentional sourcing decisions to produce a bold, flavorful chip that is better for eaters, farmers, and the planet.

We get a behind-the-scenes look at their brand inspiration and desire to bring storytelling and joy to the snack aisle with their bold lucha libre-inspired characters like El Nacho, Ms. Mango, and El Diablo. Joe also gives his hot takes on how we can increase consumer demand for regenerative products, and shares some top-secret information about their innovation pipeline.

Grab some chips and guac and dial in on this one.

Episode Highlights:

🍴 How El Nacho was born in a chef’s kitchen during COVID.

🧑‍🌾 Why regenerative corn offers more nutrient density — and flavor

🎨 Lucha libre branding lets El Nacho tap into nostalgia, culture, and community impact

🌱 Building supply from the ground up — including planting regen blue corn for fall

🇲🇽 Latino influence is rising, and Mexican cuisine is set to go mainstream

💬 “It takes a village” - The need for retailer, buyer, and consumer alignment on regen

🧪 Ancient wisdom meets modern flavor — the art and science of nixtamalization

🛍️ Educating buyers — most don’t have a high “Corn IQ”

💣 Why we need to see regenerative tortilla chips in 7-Eleven

👀 An exclusive sneak peek at what flavors are coming next