Mexicano

What Mexicano does

Mexicano (legally Mexicano Supplies Ltd) is a New Zealand-based packaged snack food brand that manufactures and distributes authentic tortilla-style corn chips for the consumer retail market. The company traces its origin to 1985 when it operated as Mexican Cantina, one of the first Mexican restaurants in Wellington; the corn chip product line subsequently outgrew the restaurant and was incorporated as a standalone brand in 2015. The company is wholly owned by Griffin's Foods Limited (Griffin's Snacks), a diversified New Zealand food conglomerate, and operates as a distinct brand within that portfolio.

The product line consists of eight corn chip SKUs spanning Cheese, Jalapeno, Lightly Salted (300g sharing pack), Natural, Tasty Cheese, Tasty Salsa, Thai Sweet Chilli, and Sea Salt & Lime variants, packaged in 170g and 300g formats. Production is centered in the Wellington region using a traditional process: GM-free corn sourced from Hawke's Bay is steeped overnight, stone-ground between Mexican volcanic rocks to produce masa, oven-cooked, and lightly fried in rapeseed oil sourced from Canterbury. The chips are non-GMO with gluten-free and plant-based options available. The company employs 14 people and is headquartered at 111 Eastern Hutt Road, Taita, Lower Hutt.

Mexicano sells through a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model: products are listed across all major New Zealand supermarket chains (Woolworths, New World, Pak n Save, Moore Wilson), available via online ordering on Countdown and New World digital platforms, and offered for international export and distribution. The company augments retail distribution with a recipe-driven content marketing approach through its website cookbook, email newsletter, and active Facebook and Instagram channels. Brand awareness is supported through community sponsorships including the annual Dux award at Taita College. Sustainability initiatives include participation in the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme (packets recycled into products like Future Posts fence posts and waterslides) and a circular waste program where leftover corn masa is collected by local farmers for livestock feed.

Name

Mexicano

Legal name

Mexicano Supplies Ltd

Website

https://mexicano.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mexicano is a New Zealand-based packaged snack brand that manufactures authentic tortilla-style corn chips across eight flavor SKUs for nationwide consumer retail distribution through supermarkets (Woolworths, New World, Pak n Save), e-commerce, and international export. Owned by Griffin's Foods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tortilla Chips / Snack Foods

NAICS

Tortilla Manufacturing (31183)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Tortilla & Corn Chips Manufacturing (AFAKAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE)

Keywords

• Tortilla corn chips
• Snack foods
• Stone-ground masa
• GM-free corn snacks
• Gluten-free chips

Headquarters

HQ city

Lower Hutt

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Corn Chip Product Sales: Mexicano generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of corn chip products across multiple flavor varieties. Products are sold through retail supermarket chains and direct e-commerce channels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mexicano manufactures and sells a single product line of authentic tortilla-style corn chips in eight flavor varieties. The corn is stone-ground between Mexican volcanic rocks to produce masa, which is oven-cooked and lightly fried. Products are sold in 170g and 300g packages through New Zealand supermarket chains and online channels.

Product overview

Mexicano is a New Zealand-based corn chip manufacturer offering a single unified product line of eight authentic tortilla-style corn chip flavors. The company was founded in 1985 as Mexican Cantina restaurant in Wellington and has since grown to supply supermarkets nationwide. Their corn chips are made from GM-free corn grown in Hawkes Bay, stone-ground between Mexican volcanic rocks to produce masa, then oven-cooked and lightly fried. The product portfolio spans Cheese, Jalapeno, Lightly Salted (300g), Natural, Tasty Cheese, Tasty Salsa, Thai Sweet Chilli, and Sea Salt & Lime varieties. All products are designed for nachos, snacking, and dipping use cases, distributed through major New Zealand retailers including Woolworths, New World, Pak n Save, and Moore Wilson.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cheese Corn Chips Classic cheese-flavored corn chips made from GM-free New Zealand corn, packaged in 170g format for retail consumers.
• Jalapeno Corn Chips Spicy jalapeno-flavored corn chips with real jalapeno in the seasoning blend, packaged in 170g format for retail consumers.
• Lightly Salted Corn Chips Corn chips lightly seasoned with natural sea salt, packaged in larger 300g format suitable for sharing occasions.
• Natural Corn Chips Plain corn chips made with only corn and vegetable oil, plant-based with no added seasoning, packaged in 170g format.
• Tasty Cheese Corn Chips Enhanced cheese-flavored corn chips with extra cheese seasoning for stronger flavor, packaged in 170g format for retail consumers.
• Tasty Salsa Corn Chips Salsa-flavored corn chips with tomato, garlic, and spice blend seasoning, packaged in 170g format for retail consumers.
• Thai Sweet Chilli Corn Chips Thai-inspired corn chips with a sweet, sour, and chilli flavor profile, plant-based, packaged in 170g format.
• Sea Salt & Lime Corn Chips Zesty corn chips seasoned with sea salt and lime extract, gluten-free and non-GMO, packaged in 170g format.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Soft Plastics Recycling SchememinorOthersMexicano is a proud member of the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme. Their packets are repurposed into various products used around New Zealand, including fence posts (Future Posts) and waterslides. Customers can drop off used packets at retail outlets, typically at local supermarkets.
• Future PostsminorOthersSoft plastics from Mexicano packaging are recycled into fence posts through Future Posts, a New Zealand company that repurposes soft plastics into outdoor products.
• Taita CollegeminorOthersMexicano sponsors the annual Dux award at Taita College, gifting an Apple Laptop to the winning student. This community involvement initiative supports local education.
• Local FarmersminorOthersLeftover corn from making the masa for Mexicano chips is picked up by local farmers and turned into food for livestock, demonstrating the company's commitment to reducing waste.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tostitos (PepsiCo/Frito-Lay): Tostitos is PepsiCo's flagship tortilla chip brand sold globally. As a broad incumbent in the same corn/tortilla chip category, it competes with Mexicano on supermarket shelves but operates at vastly larger scale with a broader product portfolio.
• Old El Paso (General Mills): Old El Paso is General Mills' Mexican-themed food brand offering tortilla chips alongside kits and shells. It competes with Mexicano in the Mexican food snacking category through major grocery retailers globally.
• Doritos (PepsiCo/Frito-Lay): Doritos is the dominant flavored tortilla chip brand globally and a major competitor for the same shelf space and consumer occasions that Mexicano targets (snacking, dipping, entertaining).

Direct peers

• Mission Foods: Mission Foods is the largest manufacturer of tortillas and tortilla-related products in the US, including corn chips. It is directly comparable to Mexicano as both produce masa-based corn chips using traditional processes for retail and foodservice channels.

Regional players

• Bluebird Foods: Bluebird is a major New Zealand snack brand (owned by PepsiCo) offering potato chips and other snacks in the same NZ retail channels. It is a direct competitor for the same supermarket shelf space and snack-food consumer occasions in NZ.
• Eta (Peckham's): Eta is a New Zealand snack brand offering chips and crackers through major NZ supermarkets. It competes with Mexicano for the same retail snacking occasions and consumer segments within the domestic NZ market.
• Kettle Foods (Kettle Chips NZ): Kettle Chips is a NZ-distributed premium kettle-cooked chip brand competing for the same quality/snacking positioning and supermarket shelf space in NZ as Mexicano.

Emerging players

• Late July Snacks: Late July is a US-based organic/non-GMO snack brand specializing in tortilla and other chips with clean-label positioning. Comparable to Mexicano on the authentic, better-for-you snacking segment targeting premium consumer occasions.
• Beanitos: Beanitos is a US-based better-for-you chip brand offering corn and bean-based tortilla chips with non-GMO and gluten-free attributes. Comparable to Mexicano on the natural, clean-label positioning and product format.

Others

• Sanitarium (NZ): Sanitarium is a major NZ health-food manufacturer and distributor that uses similar non-GMO, plant-based positioning. Comparable as an adjacent peer on the clean-label and locally manufactured health-food brand positioning, though in different product categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MexicanoCornChips
• Instagraminstagram.com/mexicanonewzealand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mexicanonz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mexicano