I Love Micheladas
"I Love Micheladas" exhibited their products at the Western Foodservice Expo in Los Angeles in August.
By Ed Avis
Many Mexican restaurants serve micheladas, those tomato juice-based beer cocktails, but the owners of Guelaguetza Restaurant in Los Angeles saw more opportunity in the tangy drink than just another menu item. About four years ago they started selling their mix beyond the restaurant’s four walls under the catchy brand name “I Love Micheladas.”
“My sisters and I took over the restaurant from our parents about eight years ago,” explains Fernando Lopez, one of the siblings who run the 25-year-old restaurant. “As the restaurant’s business grew we realized that we could only fit so many people into the restaurant, so if we wanted to expand, we either had to open another location or take some of our assets and expand with them.”
The Lopez siblings started their product expansion with a different Mexican menu item – their famous mole. They began bottling that and selling that product online and in a small store inside the restaurant about five or six years ago.
“After we got the mole going, we were trying to figure out what else we could sell online,” Lopez. “Some people were buying our michelada mix, in empty tequila bottles, for $25 a bottle. We realized that if they were willing to pay that much, we could cut the price and sell more.”
So about four years ago they ramped up production, created the brand, and designed beautiful, eye-catching packaging. They offer two blends, Brown (the more savory of the two) and Red (more citrus and tomato flavor). They package the bottles with little containers of rimmer salt so that customers can get the full michelada experience. Lopez says they plan to eventually drop the rimmer salt -- since most customers have access to Tajin or another rimmer these days – which will allow them to lower the price.
The michelada mix is still produced entirely in-house, Lopez says, using a recipe created from the ground up for micheladas.
“We make it entirely from scratch, and not with a co-packer,” Lopez stresses. “At Guelaguetza we put a lot of care into the food, and we put the same attention and love into all of our products.”
The mix is available online and at some retailers, including Northgate Market and Vallarta Supermarket in Southern California. Now the company is seeking a distribution partner to help expand in foodservice. For more information, visit www.ilovemicheladas.com.