March 14, 2025
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Photos courtesy of Cacique Foods LLC

AUTHENTIC FLAVOR — Cacique Foods is a category leader specializing in Hispanic cheeses and cremas, as well as chorizos and salsas. The company has seen an upward trajectory of its products as consumers continue to adopt Mexican foods and recipes, such as Authentic Queso Fresco Enchiladas.

Photos courtesy of Cacique Foods LLC

NEW HORIZONS — Cacique’s new processing facility in Amarillo, Texas, has provided increased capacity and efficiency, as well as a central location that allows the company to more easily serve its customers from coast to coast.

By Rena Archwamety

IRVING, Texas — A family-owned business for more than 50 years and category leader in Hispanic-style cheese and dairy products, Cacique Foods LLC is poised for continued growth and category leadership.

Cacique was founded in 1973 by the de Cardenas family, who were immigrants to the United States. The company began selling authentic Queso Fresco, and over the decades expanded to become the No. 1 U.S. producer of Hispanic cheeses, cremas and chorizos.

Formerly based in City of Industry, California, Cacique announced the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, in June 2023. The dairy processing facility in Amarillo, Texas, also had its opening in May 2023.

Tirso Iglesias, chief operating officer at Cacique Foods, says after some adjustments over the first year, the plant now is running, with significant improvements in both capacity and efficiency. Furthermore, the company’s new location provides Cacique a much more efficient base to serve customers coast to coast.

“It’s more efficient logistics. We’re no longer skewed heavy to provide to just one set of regional customers.

Now we can execute expansion plans in regions where we weren’t able to before because of logistical challenges,” Iglesias says of the more centralized location. “With our headquarters in Dallas, we can get to any area in the country quicker.”

The location also has been ideal for the plant and its supply chain, from farm to shelf.

“We have very solid partnerships in this area” Iglesias says. “We not only have a new set of efficiencies now, we’re also set for growth for the future. Nearing two years now in Texas, Cacique Foods is hitting its stride and is focused on maintaining excellence and meeting all of its customers’ and consumers’ needs.”

With its new plant and headquarters providing a solid, more efficient base, Cacique Foods is focusing this year on its core items: Hispanic-style cheeses, cremas, chorizos and salsas.

“We’re known for our authentic style Queso Fresco and Crema Mexicana — those are our core market leaders,” Iglesias says of the company’s successful dairy line, favored by consumers for its flavor profile and performance.

“They’re very versatile,” he adds. “Not only for Mexican-style cuisine, but versatile as a crossover for fusion cuisine. Their versatility and product consistency is why consumers gravitate toward them. We see continued opportunity as consumers continue to adopt cooking Mexican cuisine at home.”

Demand for Cacique’s entire portfolio remains strong, and the company has seen growth across all channels, consumer types and segments as more consumers seek to adopt authentic Mexican-style cooking.

“We’re seeing a continual adoption of Mexican foods, especially authentic dishes, and the adoption of cooking habits, especially as digital has become more prevalent — much more easy to access and bring home,” Iglesias says. “It’s not just our core customers, but those interested in Mexican cuisine and exploring different food types.”

Cacique Foods features a wide range of recipes on its website and social media channels, from traditional dishes like enchiladas and tacos, to soups utilizing its authentic cremas and desserts incorporating Hispanic-style cheeses. Examples include Apple-Oaxaca Cheese Empanadas that use Crema Mexicana and shredded Oaxaca in the filling, and Veggie Sopes using Cacique-brand Sopes, Ranchero Queso Fresco and Crema Mexicana as part of its social media #MeatFreeFriday meal featured during Lent.

The company takes an omnichannel approach to marketing and advertising as it strives to meet its customers where they are.

“Whether it’s been partnering with retail or working with influencers, we’re continually adapting to consumers’ needs and how they seek engagement with brands like ours. That’s where our focus is continuing to evolve with our consumer,” Iglesias explains. “We try to stay current and analyze what’s working for us, and what’s new out there. We’re trying to stay on top of consumer trends, which always has been critical to our success.”

Also critical to Cacique’s success has been its ability to provide quality and consistency in both its outreach and its authentic product. Iglesias notes that this is what keeps customers coming back and what attracts new interest to the brand.

“Quality and consistency are at the forefront,” he says. “From a marketplace perspective, we’re investing in educating consumers and attracting more households through retailer relationships. We do this with more consistency and a lot of activities. We’ve been doing it in a more consistent and sustained commitment from our end.”

Cacique’s mission centers around four pillars: Family, Integrity, Quality and Authenticity.

Under the Family pillar are Cacique’s consumers as well as its employees and retail partners. The company is honored to be invited to the table every time consumers use a Cacique product in a meal. Cacique also respects and cares for its employees and retail partners by showing humility and listening to their needs.

Throughout the company’s expansion, Cacique’s employees continued to express satisfaction in their workplace. In fact, this year marked Cacique’s seventh year as a “Great Place to Work,” an award based on employee surveys.

“It’s a testament to the culture and commitment of the employees,” Iglesias says. “It’s one of the greatest elevations you can get from your team. To have that bestowed on us from our team seven years in a row, it’s very humbling and exciting at the same time.”

Under the Integrity pillar, Cacique as a business actively practices the Golden Rule: The customer is always right. Everyone at Cacique remains accountable to that rule by doing the right thing for their community and challenging themselves to keep their commitments.

When it comes to the Quality pillar, Cacique’s mission is to give its consumers best-in-class products every time they choose to invite Cacique into their homes.

The fourth pillar, Authenticity, means Cacique is committed to providing its consumers with an experience that is rooted in its heritage and traditions. The company strives to create and maintain connections with its past as it moves toward the future.

As the company looks forward to opportunities for future growth from its brand new headquarters and facilities, Iglesias notes that Cacique’s goals are very simple.

“We want to maintain our high commitment to operational excellence,” he says. “This will help us reinvest back in the marketplace and our consumers at the end of the day. We want to make sure we’re delivering the best product day to day; that we meet the expectations we’re known for; and meeting the expectations of new customers that try us. We want to strengthen the category, and innovation will play a part in that in the near and far future. But now, our focus is on our core items, innovations we bring to the marketplace, and having fun while doing that all at the same time.”

CMN